


The Condor's Last Flight

by Sandentwins



Series: As the Golden Condor Flies [4]
Category: Taiyou no Ko Esteban | Les Mystérieuses Cités d'or | The Mysterious Cities of Gold
Genre: Angst, Burglary, Family, Gen, Golden Condor, Illustrations, Implied/Referenced Character Death, Modern Era, Reincarnation, Road Trips, Transmutation, Zia's Powers, archeology
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-22
Updated: 2020-06-15
Packaged: 2021-03-01 16:55:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 26
Words: 111,083
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23790424
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sandentwins/pseuds/Sandentwins
Summary: In the middle of times that come and go, the Golden Condor was supposed to remain intact and unshaken. Bound to haunt it like a ghost, Esteban thought he could handle the passage of time, but finds himself unable to do so; that is, until he's given a second chance.The year is 2012, and while Tao and Zia are long gone, their descendants are still here. The Cities of Gold have not been awoken, and still wait somewhere; it's up to Esteban and his new friends to help the Condor take flight again, and uncover their secrets.
Series: As the Golden Condor Flies [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1319516
Kudos: 5





	1. Futures

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You do need to have read [His Winged Machine](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17518391) to understand, but the Tl;dr is that Esteban now haunts the Golden Condor like a ghost. That's not a spoiler, worry not.

_”I just wish it could have lasted longer, you know?”_

_At that, Zia looked up a little. Staring ahead, looking at someone she couldn't see._

_“What do you mean? It's still lasting.”_

_"...you know what I'm talking about.”_

_She did, of course. Yet it wasn't very easy to talk about. Every time they've tried, it had felt like sticking their hands into boiling water, and none of them would handle it very long. Save for Esteban, of course; but he was the only one without hands, in this situation._

_May they be metaphorical or literal._

_“I wish we could keep going on adventures.”, he continued, his voice sounding in a corner of Zia's head. “I wish we could keep flying over the world. Maybe we can resume our quest...”_

_“You're still onto that, aren't you?”_

_“I can't help it. I hate the frustration of unfinished work, you know it!”_

_“I know it. And I'm sorry.”_

_She sighed slightly, pensively running a hand through her hair. It was so short these days, but she was used to it by now; it felt like a needed change._

_“But...we've grown up. All of us, even you. It's not right to stay in the same place forever.”_

_Esteban knew that, of course. He knew it, and it felt selfish to deny it. But what could he do about his own feelings?_

_“So...that's the end, then?”_

_“It's not the end, and you know it.”_

_“It feels like it. So much is changing, I can hardly keep up! Are our old times really over?”_

_“It's only been ten years. It's natural that things change.”_

_Ten years since they've stopped their quest. For Esteban, they've passed as quick as a good night's rest. It seemed like the whole...process had warped his perception of time altogether, and he hated the idea._

_“So...what will you do?”, he asked. “Will you settle down?”_

_“That's the idea. Tao and I have thought about returning to his homeland, and making something of it. Maybe we'll build a house, I'm not sure yet.”_

_She chuckled a bit._

_“Knowing him, that's definitely what he has in mind.”_

_“I could fly you there. It wouldn't take a day, I bet!”_

_He could feel from her hesitant voice that there was something she wasn't telling him, and he dreaded to know._

_“You see...we thought that it would be best to go by ourselves. We've...we've got a ship ready to go in the morning.”_

_She seemed to sense the tension in the air, for she immediately added:_

_“It's nothing against you! I swear. It's just...well, we thought that maybe you...you wouldn't want to bear witness to excessive honey-sweetness.”_

_If Esteban still had a throat, he would have chuckled._

_“I'm used to it by now. You two do your thing, and I'll be your steed, who's not in the best position for jealousy. But...it's nice that you thought about it.”_

_Zia smiled, and slowly stood up. Carefully, she put a hand on the golden beak, feeling the warmth of the metal caressed by the falling sun. Esteban couldn't feel it very well, but he let it happen, reveled in the softness of her touch. How he would miss it…_

_“We'll come back.”, she promised. “And you can come to see us whenever you feel like it. If...whenever you feel ready.”_

_“I'm going to miss you. We've been through so much...I can't believe it's ending!”_

_“It's not ending, Esteban. It's...merely a pause.”_

_She looked up at him, at his purely decorative eyes. Silence reigned for a moment, during which none of them knew what to say. How could they be sure of how long this would last? What if one day they simply stopped being friends, and forgot about one another?_

_No, Zia thought. She'd never forget him. He who had been her first friend, her first crush, her first insight into the secrets hidden from them. She'd never forget him, not now, nor ever._

_"There's something Tao doesn't know yet. And...I would like you to be the first to hear it. You deserve it.”_

_At the warmth of the orichalcum beak, she could feel his interest being perked up._

_“I'm expecting our first child. I'm sure of it now. He and I have talked about it for a while now, and...I suppose the time has come for us to start a family.”_

_She saw the light bounce and ripple over the Condor's body, spread like waves on a pond under the force of Esteban's excitement. She couldn't help a smile as the light focused in front of her, and sprouted out to give form to his usual, child-shaped projection._

_“This is amazing!”, he smiled wide, wriggling his fists. “Can you imagine? Oh, I can already see his reaction!”_

_And the light changed its shape, now copying Tao's silhouette and voice._

_“'I'm proud that you're keeping up the lineage of our ancestors! Really, Zia, I didn't expect any better of you! Now come here so I can kiss you all day long like the sappy mess I am!'”_

_And he mimicked some gross kissy faces that made Zia laugh out. She batted away at the light with her hands, and it melted like a puff of smoke before reforming Esteban's usual form. That of a fourteen-year old child, the same as on the day of his fall._

_Ten years have passed, and yet he hadn't changed._

_"...I can't wait.”, he said more calmly. “It's so weird...you'll get to build a family, now. With a house, and children and everything...”_

_“It's part of life. And we have to celebrate these changes.”_

_Slowly, she put her hand over his'. His light was not burning anymore, he's learned how to control it. Now it barely felt hotter than a freshly-brewed cup of Arabian coffee, and it made her feel a little tingly. But that aside, he was still the same as ever._

_“I'll pass on the medallion of the Sun. Maybe when our children grow up, they will get to pilot the Condor. And you'll help them.”_

_“Of course I will.”_

_Zia smiled, and looked at him with fondness. In the brightness of the light, it was hard to make up Esteban's face, but she knew he was smiling too._

_Slowly, she leaned up, and planted a gentle kiss on his cheek. It didn't feel like anything, except like a warm sunbeam over her face. He was so young, and she was a married woman now; it didn't feel like greeting a friend, but like comforting a child. If Esteban was aware of it, he said nothing about it, and closed his eyes to let it happen._

_The sun was going down, and his light was starting to dim. Zia pulled away, and looked at Esteban as he was disappearing little by little. She knew he couldn't stay here forever, and it ached at her heart, but such was the way of things. She let go of his hand, and for a moment he tried to hold onto it; but he eventually let go, knowing it'd be futile._

_"...see you someday.”, he simply said._

_“See you too. Give my regards to your mother, from us.”_

_He nodded, and watched the sun as it set beyond the horizon. It then felt as if he couldn't stay awake any longer, and he had to go to bed; so he closed his eyes, and let himself fall back into the Condor's body. His light gleamed over it for a second, before dimming down for the night. Zia stayed next to him for another minute or so, until she heard Tao and the others calling for her. So she got up, and returned to them, her heart still a little heavy._

_Come morning, the Golden Condor had flown away._

~~~~~ 

The bell rang to the relief of the students that were already making their way to the door, in a flurry of zipped-up bags and pencil cases and closed notebooks. Quickly the classroom filled with chatter and footsteps on their way to recess, happy to find the end of a long two-hour History class. Such was the usual routine of eight-graders on Tuesday morning, when class was starting to wake up to the rhythm of school yet not exactly quite there yet.

Except that Tina wouldn't exactly adhere to this routine, today. Holding her freshly-graded test in hand, bag over her shoulder, she made her way to the teacher's desk with slow feet, already knowing what would happen. If the red chicken-scratch angrily peppered through her dissertation was of any indication as to what could have caused the teacher to want to meet her after class, she sure didn't want to know the details of it. At least it'll be over soon, she told herself as she awkwardly stood by the desk while Mrs Fermonte finished putting her papers together. How she hated that moment when she wasn't sure she should say anything! But after a good minute, when the footsteps and voices had disappeared into the hallway, the teacher removed her glasses and looked up at the young girl. 

“Tina, you know this can't keep on forever.”

Her tone wasn't angry, but rather tired. Mrs Fermonte always seemed exhausted with everything, as was the case for most professors, but to actually be the target of it had something very uneasy to it.

“I...don't see what you mean, missus.”, said Tina, trying to play innocent.

“Don't lie. This is the fourth time this trimester that you do this!”

She gestured to the test Tina was holding. A rather poor grade that would not help her situation. 

“You've got imagination, and I got to give you credit for it. But this is history, not creative writing! Why is it the fourth time that I find stories of lost continents and theories in your work?”

“But that fit the theme! We had to show how modern culture reflects the ideologies and systems of the past, so it's only fitting that I mention the Muan civil–”

“Tina, this is no time for invention!”, replied Mrs Fermonte, rubbing the bridge of her nose. “You have to use facts, not legends! How many times do I have to tell you this?”

Tina tried to reply, but she knew it'd be useless. Everyone was too bent on insisting the continent of Mu was a legend, no matter how much proof she'd bring up. Her attempts at shaking up the establishment only brought her disbelief and poor grades, and it seemed today was no exception.

“Look, I get it. You're obviously passionate about your subject, and that is a very good thing. Your dissertation on Plato's writings was well done, and your argumentation is nicely constructed; but I'm starting to worry. This is beginning to look like an obsession!”

There was the word, again. She had wondered at what point it would be dropped. She tried to answer, but couldn't bring herself to look her teacher in the eyes, and simply looked away. 

“We all have our favorite periods of history, but not everything we study can be linked to that. The topic clearly stated that you had to focus on the 19th century, yet you _still_ brought up ancient civilizations. I just can't pass your work if you can't respect the guidelines, do you understand?”

“I know...”

Mrs Fermonte sighed, and looked through her binder. Tina felt her ears start to heat up in shame, knowing she failed expectations yet again. But what could she do about it? Nothing could get her past the demanded word count aside from her favorite topic. She had tried, at least!

“I don't want to fail you, Tina. You're a promising pupil, you have a good writing style. But keep the legends for Literature class, in the future.”

“It's not legends!”, she retorted, before realizing she talked back to a teacher. “I-I mean...there's proof. There's...there's research, and I've looked it all up– I went to the library, there's books about Mu! There's–”

“There's a lot of controversy.”, the teacher cut in. “Your research is admirable, but sadly I can't bend the syllabus. You can't pass this class on passion alone, I regret.”

She knew that, of course. She knew that what she loved had no room in the cruel vise of the school system. And it felt horrible to see what she held true, what she believed in, be crushed by controversy and judgment.

Mrs Fermonte likely noticed she was about to cry, for she pulled a paper out of her binder. 

“You need to learn how to keep your interests aside when it matters. But you shouldn't discard them altogether. On the contrary, you have something that needs to be nurtured.”

She handed it to her; it was a flyer for a museum exhibit in the next town over. The picture of an Aztec mask showed its twisted smile at her, followed by a caption: _Legends of Gold and Blood_. 

“I thought you would be interested in this. Mesoamerican cultures have a lot of similarities with Ancient Greeks, and as many secrets. The exhibit is open-access for students, you'd just have to afford transportation.”

Tina quickly looked through the pictures. Apparently, this would be a big event; the museum had received pieces from all over the Americas to display here. It sure got her attention, and the mention of free entry kept it up. She folded the flyer and put it in her pocket.

“I'll consider it.”

“Good. Now try to be a bit more serious in your work, and your grade might get better by the end of the year. You have everything to win, remember.”

“I will.”

And on that, she left the classroom. But once met with a closed door and the silent hallway, she couldn't help a heavy sigh.

“The old coot's gonna kill me...”, she whined, crumpling her test into a ball to throw into the trash.

Outside, middle schoolers were playing, chatting, being up to whatever it is that middle schoolers do at this time of year. Tina wasn't peculiarly interested in it, for interaction had never been her thing. So she simply sat on a bench, and read through the flyer with curiosity. Of course, if her household ever found out about her trash grade, there was no way she'd convince them to take her to the exhibit; she'd need to plan how many days of best behavior it would take for her parents to accept. She was buried deep in thought, playing all sorts of scenarios in her mind, when a sudden hand swatted the flyer away.

“Hey, aliens, the Egyptians are coming!”, sneered a voice. “They're gonna abduct you!”

Tina rolled her eyes, ignoring the bullies' creepy smile as they watched for her every reaction, ready to take her apart. She's long since learned to not care for it. 

“That'd be a pleasure.”, she retorted, trying her best to sound tired. “At least I wouldn't see your ugly face anymore.”

There was a sound resembling laughter, for that reaction was as good as any other.

“Hey, if I'm ugly, then you've got to be worse, you and your hair that looks like someone shat on your head. It's all over your face too.”

Casual racism, so early in the morning? Must be a full moon today.

“Well, I'd rather have a hair full of shit than to spew it from my mouth. Go take your potty mouth elsewhere, got it?”

Another uproar from the bullies, who were starting to get angry. But Tina didn't let it go to her, even when they started to kick her bag and legs to make her angrier. It'd be useless to retort, she knew that, she'd only get in trouble. But luckily, relief came in the form of a lion's roar.

Well, a mimicry of a lion's roar. The bullies stepped away from the kid who came this way, and who now was baring his teeth at them, pretending to be a feline about to attack. His weird behavior was enough to gross them off and make them go harass someone else; at what point Leon calmed down and sat next to her.

“Whatcha readin'?”, he asked most casually.

“A museum thing. Fermonte told me I should check it out.”

The sixth-grader peered over the colorful paper, trying to read some caption. 

“Think la Cojona's gonna let you go there?”

“Nope. Not at all.”

It was useless to hope, Tina knew it. Whether it'd be money, transportation, time or any other reason, there'd always be something stopping her from doing anything remotely fun. When was the last time she'd ever been to see a movie? She couldn't remember. 

“You could always tell them it's for school.”

“I'd have to show them a paper to sign. It's useless, they won't let me. Got a shit grade in History again.”

“Oh boy. What was it this time? Olmecs?”

“Muans. I was right, you know! I was perfectly in-topic! Why can't they just accept that the world isn't what we think?”

“Cause they need sheep people to stay asleep, so they can make money off their credulity. I don't even need to specify who, because that's always true all the time.”

Leon sat up, a smug smile crossing his freckled face.

“You an' I? We know the truth. We're the only ones that know what the world holds. You know of the Cities of Gold, I know I have incredible powers waiting to be unleashed.”

Tina snorted.

“They sure are taking their sweet time.”, she teased. “Thought you'd at least have mastered telepathy by now!”

“That's not my priority. I'm working on my transformation for now. I'm progressing, watch!”

And he proceeded to demonstrate the cruel difference between media in reality, by trying to sprout out tiger claws and pathetically failing at it. Surely it must look way better in his head, but Tina couldn't help a smidge of disbelief.

“Keep going.”, she encouraged in a monotone voice. “They're growing alright. Oooh, I'm scared. Aaah.”

“Hey, don't mock it.”, Leon huffed. “I've only just begun my training. This takes time, you know!”

“That's what you've been saying for two years. If I were you, I'd start questioning whatever shady online course I'm taking.”

Though she wouldn't discourage it. Her cousin's weirdness was keeping people away, a needed tool in the tough times that were middle school. Plus, someone had to be supportive of him, even though his endeavors would ultimately result in disillusion. 

Support was always nice to have, after all.

Tina leaned back on the bench, watching clouds pass by. Maybe they were right, and it was time for her to give up on the silly ideas. Next year would be high school, and she dreaded to think about what it would be like. Teachers likely wouldn't be as lenient as Mrs Fermonte on what they considered to be inventions, and she could get in a lot more trouble than just bad grades. 

She was not crazy. She just saw the world for what it was, where was the wrong in that?

“I'll show them.”, she said to herself. “I'm not crazy. I know it's real.”

“How will you do that?”

She didn't know. She had absolutely no ideas as to how to show them the truth. Perhaps it'd be impossible; but she didn't want to think of that possibility. It felt too cruel to envision, too crushing of her little hopes.

The bell rang again, and she headed back to class with her head down. Way to start the day, for sure; it'd likely last the rest of the day, until she got home and it'd get worse. Then La Cojona would come home and it'd be the worst, until another schoolday came to give her an excuse to be out of here. Another day, the same as always, never ending.

But luckily enough, all days had the chance to hold something exciting.

An hour later, during the break, Tina received a text from one of her friends. A link to some news article, that she discretely read from the confines of her pencil case. While at first it only vaguely piqued her interest, it wasn't until the pictures loaded that she rose high brows. It was an excavation site not far from here, where people were searching for fossils; and instead, they found something even bigger. Literally.

Buried under dirt and gravel, yet slowly coming back to the light, a huge golden bird has been unearthed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have no idea of where I'm going with this, but I trust myself. It'll be good.


	2. Heirlooms

_ Arizona Excavation Digs up Possible Great Golden Bird _

_Monday, April 23rd afternoon, a team of researchers working in an excavation site in Seila, AZ have unearthed a gigantic construct that locals already identify as a “great golden bird”.  
The French team of archeologists led by Pr. Ambre Desvilles was searching the area for possible fossils dating back to the Paleozoic era, which would have been preserved by the sands. However, things took a whole new turn when their excavation revealed the remains of an 115 feet-long machine of unknown origin and fabric, in the shape of a bird.  
“It is unlike anything we've ever seen,” revealed Pr. Desvilles. “If this is really a_ grand oiseau d'or _, then we might be facing a historical event of no precedent.”  
Great Golden Birds were thought to be items of myth, no less than the legendary Cities of Gold that still elude historians. All throughout the world, various sightings and scriptures reveal the existence of these fabled golden birds, on which many legends base themselves. However, no tangible proof of their existence has ever been found; perhaps the Seila excavation would be the first real trace of these machines' existence.   
“Our goal for the time being is to unearth as much of it as possible. We're already working on taking samples for analysis, but so far the structure seems to be unbreakable. The most likely scenario is that we'll need to bring it out for further research.”_

Followed pictures of the excavation site, showing a bird's eye view of the machine. It did look like a bird, its wings spread in a bent way like it fell in mid-flight. From under the desert sands, parts were slowly being dug up, for the construct had likely been damaged from the impact or from time. 

Tina looked down at her sketch of the machine's silhouette, trying to assemble in her mind what it could look like. She couldn't believe it; a great golden bird! These things only existed in movies or in theorist blog pages! So to find one, just like that, in the middle of the desert? Oh, that got her inner archeologist all riled up, alright!

These birds were things of legend. Gigantic golden demons or monsters that only a child's hand could tame, and that were said to follow the setting sun to guide men to riches unknown and unimaginable, or maybe even to the land of El Dorado. They were a perfect mix of unicorns and ghost trains, with a little bit of ancient astronaut theories thrown in for good measure; and if Tina knew anything about this kind of world, it's that no legend is born from nothing.

Her domain was often discredited, due to the very nature of cryptic research. Urban legends loved to change people's perceptions of what was otherwise serious matters, and YouTube was full of videos from people trying to either rationalize or mystify these topics for views. There was some money to be made from people's credulity, which led to many hoaxes and false sightings that drowned the already meager amount of possible truth. All of that combined made research very hard, and what little could be made was never taken seriously. Anyone who tried to fund a serious expedition to the Cities of Gold would be met with mockery and discredit, for no one could _possibly_ believe they existed.

But maybe this golden bird would be the start of a new era. Maybe it would lead to a better understanding of this world. Tina was sure of it: people could fake dinosaur prints or missing link skulls, but no one could possibly make up a giant bird out of solid gold. At least, not for credulity money, unless whoever did this had a lot of time and resources to throw out the window. No, there was no way this could be staged. She refused to believe it. This bird, this machine _had_ to be real. It _had_ to be the key to something new, something that'd open the doors to her new world.

Her drawing finished, she tore the paper off her sketchbook, and taped it to a blank page of her research log, along with several notes she's already taken from the news article. Several other sources have confirmed the findings of the Seila excavation, and pictures were flourishing online. The operation was led by a known team, even though Tina's French wasn't useful enough to further research the university websites about them. But she was confident enough that this whole ordeal would go well, and that she'd know more in the following days. 

As she put her research notebook away, she found in her schoolbag the flyer on the exhibition. She picked it up to read through, letting the pictures pique her interest. She's never really been interested in Pre-Columbian civilizations, but if her knowledge of the hidden world was anything right, she knew it'd be time to look into that domain. She had seen some theories about how great golden birds were possibly of Inca or Mayan origin, and needless to say, this wouldn't happen at a better moment. If this exhibit was truly a big event, she'd get to meet professors and historians, who could perhaps enlighten her research. If passion alone wasn't enough, hard work would help a lot, wouldn't it?

Her mind was set, then; now, for the hardest part.

Putting the flyer in her pocket, she looked out the window. No brown car in sight. Peeking out of her room, she made her way to the kitchen, where she knew her dad was hanging out. Where else could he be but at the kitchen table, sitting on his laptop while smoking cheap cigarettes?

“Hey, dad?”, she asked, leaning awkwardly on the doorway.

He looked up at her, with the face of a man who simply was exhausted of life. If Mrs Fermonte was the image of frustration from unaccomplishment, Tina's dad was tired from the very idea of trying. She knew he had the means, but he seemed to think his time would be better employed sitting all day at the table rather than trying to provide for his family, and it pained her to know. But as always, she ignored it, and just kept going.

“There's this...event I'd like to go to.”, she said, taking out the flyer to show him. “It's completely free for kids under eighteen, and it's the teacher that advised me to go.”

“A museum?”, he asked, reading through the leaflet. “Since when do you want to go to museums?”

"...since I started really loving history?”

Her dad had a moment of doubt, as if he didn't recall his own daughter's interests. But Tina didn't make anything of it; it's not like she was very open about her passions either. She sometimes thought she should, but then again, _someone_ would be quick to make fun of everything she loved until the end of times.

“Where's that?”

“Oh...it's in Santa Fe. That's...not far, yeah?”

He rose his head sharply.

“That's three hours away! I can't take you there, I have work to do!”

Wonder what kind of work, Tina thought. She simply sighed.

“You'd need to ask Elena to take you.”, Dad added.

“I'm _not_ spending six hours in a car with La Cojona!”, Tina retorted, disgusted at the very thought. 

“Language! Be respectful.”

She just rolled her eyes. She just couldn't bear to call that despicable excuse of a person by any semblance of human name. Not after all the horrible times Tina suffered by her hands.

“What if I find a ride?”, she asked to change subjects. “Or a bus?”

“You know there's no buses running here.”

He kept typing away at some Facebook post for a moment.

“What kind of ride?”

“Well...I could ask Leon's mom. She works in the area, maybe she wouldn't mind.”

And she wasn't a complete and utter bitch, _unlike some_.

“You're sure Celia would agree? She's so busy these days.”

“I could convince her to take Leon along. Get him out of his video games. It's a museum, not a rock concert or whatever! She'd agree.”

It's not like she was a stranger or a mere friend. They were family, after all! Celia wouldn't have denied her sister, so why would she deny her niece? That implicit thought seemed to make it work, for Tina's dad shrugged after a time. 

“When would you go?”

“Maybe this Friday? I don't have school.”

“You'd need money?”

“I'll pack lunch, don't worry.”

“Well...alright. But I don't want to hear about you causing trouble while you're away. And don't pull this on Celia at the last minute either.”

“I won't. I'll go ask her right away.” 

She couldn't help but come and embrace her father, for such moments of permission were to be cherished. He smiled and hugged her back, keeping his cigarette away. 

“Don't forget to tell Elena before you go.”

“Can't you do it? I don't want her to bombard me with questions.”

“Oh, fine. Now shoo. I have work to do.”

Tina couldn't hold in a smile as she made her way out of the kitchen. Seems that things were in her favor, for once!

~~~~~ 

“Maybe it was...a giant parade cart.”, Leon thought up. “They'd load it with candy to throw at kids during Chinese Mardi Gras!”

“Why would it be Chinese? Maybe it's of Mayan origin.”

“It's always Chinese.”

He picked the necklace from under his shirt, and pulled off the coin. 

“Tell you what, let's ask the truth moon. Heads for Chinese, tails for Mayan.”

“Your coin doesn't have heads or tails.”

But Leon had already flicked it up, and caught it in his palm.

“Heads. I win.”

“Both sides are the same!”, Tina groaned. “You always pull this trick off.”

“Well maybe it has sides that only I can see.”

He scoffed, and put the coin back in its socket. Indeed, both sides of the pendant were bearing the same sun-shaped engravings, so much so that trying to play heads or tails would be useless. But the necklace disappeared back under Leon's hoodie, to only resurface when tia Celia would ask to see it.

“I guess that's the perk of being the bearer of the family jewels.”, Tina sneered.

“Don't call it that. That's gross.”

“Your face is what's gross.”

Leon rolled his eyes, and resumed typing away on his tablet.

“Right. If it's not a cart, then what is it, you think?”

Tina thought for a moment, watching Leon's goldfish swim around in its bowl. How life would be easier, if she too could be satisfied with a small glass tank and some colorful gravel, without any need to ask herself questions about golden birds.

Though it wouldn't be nearly as fun.

"...call me stupid, but I think it's a plane.”

“A plane? Like, a flying one?”

“No, one for going underground.”

“You're right. I _will_ call you stupid. It's solid metal, how can it fly?”

“What do you think real planes are made of, genius?”

"...ah, right.”

Tina zoomed on her phone screen, to better look at the newspaper picture. It was hard to make out in the mess of blurry pixels, but there was a part at the front, behind the bird's head, that could look like a pilot's cabin.

“The ancient Egyptians knew of aerodynamism. What if they built this bird to actually fly?”

“Then we'd have more proof. Like, plane fossils, all over the place.”

“Just because something is available doesn't mean it's commonplace. Look at rockets! We know how to make them, but you can't really find them all over the planet. Maybe this was...experimental technology.”

And if that were the case, why did an Egyptian plane end up in the middle of the Arizona desert? Did it crash there during a flight? No human remains have been found so far, nothing that could tell of a pilot. It was hard to tell precisely when and how this great golden bird ended up there, but they've only found it three days ago, so it'd make sense that research wouldn't have progressed a lot yet.

From what Tina had gathered online, the excavation had gone on, and about 90% of the structure had been revealed. More and more pieces have been found, and there were projects of reassembling them together. 

“Hey, what tells us it's really an ancient thing? Maybe it's something straight out of Area 51, and the government is lying to us!”

“It was buried under tons and tons of sand. How could it be modern?”

“That's what they _want_ us to believe! Wake up, sheeple! The government is lying!!”

His mimicry of a crazy conspirationist brought Tina to laugh. Leon got up, and came to shake her by the shoulders, repeating 'The government is lying!' over and over, and generally causing so much ruckus that his mother eventually came in to see what was going on.

“What are you two doing?”, she asked.

“Debunking conspiracies. Why, doesn't look like it?”

Celia rolled her eyes with the silent sigh of someone who was long-used to such antics. 

“Anyway. Tina, you'd have to be ready at six tomorrow. I'd have to make a detour on the way back, but you'd be home by eight. Do you have phone data?”

“I have. Thanks a lot, tia! You don't know what big of a favor you're doing me.”

“It's alright. I'm always glad to get Leon out of the house.” 

“Why, you girls go ahead and sell me to the market while you're at it!”

“I _might_ , if you keep making that much noise, young man! Mind the neighbors. Tina, I want you to keep an eye on him tomorrow, and make sure he doesn't get into trouble.”

“No problem. We'll be inseparable.”

“Psht. When did I ever get into trouble?”

“Leon, be serious. And try to learn something at the museum. Your grades aren't looking so good right now, it's time you do something about it.”

“I make no promises.”

Celia sighed, but left them at that. Tina sat on the ground, looking through her notebook with excitement; Leon flopped on his bed, pulling out the necklace from under his collar to look at it.

"...think they'd buy this thing from me?”, he asked after a time. “Mom says it's valuable.”

“I doubt she'd be happy that you're selling family heirlooms.”

“It's a museum, not some rando on eBay. It'd benefit people. Also I don't like it.”

“Hey, your family is functional enough to have traditions, so show them some respect.”

“Traditions, my butt. Sure you don't want it?”

In all honesty, Tina would love to wear that necklace. It's been passed down her mother's family for generations, like a link from parent to child. Unfortunately, Celia being older than her sister, it was Leon and not Tina who eventually inherited it. It was a bit sad, but a relief as well: Tina was sure her dad or his wretch of a new partner would have sold it to some rando on eBay for a few dollars, oblivious to the many years of sentimental value it carried within. So all things considered, maybe it was for the best.

“It's yours.”, she simply said, returning to her sketches.

Her phone buzzed. Sadly, it wasn't good news; for 'Don't Answer' was asking her where she was, and telling her to come home immediately. Tina sighed, already knowing how tonight would go.

“Gotta go back to the gallows.”, she said grimly. “See you tomorrow?”

“Bring your headphones. It's gonna be a long ride.”

Tina chuckled, getting up.

“Sometimes the ride matters as much as the destination.”

And with a heavy heart but excited prospects in mind, she walked out of the room.


	3. Emblem

It's not like Tina had never been to a museum before. They've visited one back in elementary school, and it's been a fun experience; one of those that have kickstarted her love for history. But occasions were growing little, and the everlasting gatekeeper that were entry fees have stopped her from attending ever since. However, things were about to change; while it didn't feel like anything significant, it was for her.

So far, she hadn't managed to get her hands on any savant or professor; it seemed they were too busy doing university work. But that visit wasn't unpleasant by any means. On the contrary, it turned out Mrs Fermonte was right: Mesoamerican cultures had a lot of interesting things to show. They were so unknown, so distant, and getting them to reveal their secrets was proving harder than archeologists thought, but they were doing a good enough job at it. Some of the pieces on display were really unique, like an authentic jade mask thought to be used for rituals, or intricate coffins that once held the remains of emperors. Of course, there were unpleasant questions of ethics to be asked as to _how_ these pieces were acquired; but Tina didn't really like to think about it. That wasn't her place, nor her choice, so all she could do was hope they were copies or willing donations.

Dragging his feet behind her, Leon seemed bored out of his mind. She'd have thought the idea of sacrificial knives could have interested his teenage mind, but it looked like the general mood of museums wasn't doing so great for him. At least he wasn't running off, which made it easy to look after him. Busy with taking notes and sketches as she was, Tina was easily getting distracted with research of the most serious nature. 

“Check this out.”, she said, trying to get his interest. “It says these were sacrificial tributes.”

Leon looked up from his phone, to glance at the row of old skulls displayed under glass frames. One in the middle had a nasty crack on the back; the plaque underneath read that this adult woman had been killed from a powerful blow, as was often the case in Inca sacrifices. 

“Nasty business.”, he commented. “And people were okay with that?”

“Seems so.”

“What a bunch of savages, really!”

“Hey, don't say that. People today are okay with police brutality and human trafficking, I don't see how that's different.”

Leon shrugged, and returned to his screen. Tina looked at the skulls for another moment, before turning her eyes away. 

It seems they weren't in the best section for that, however. All around them were remains of graves, burials and sometimes people, depicting with a voyeuristic pleasure the funerary practices of the Aztecs and Incas, with quite the emphasis on human sacrifices that painted them as sadistic savages. Tina had studied enough to know better, of course; people sometimes believed in crazy things. At least the people of the continent of Mu were better than that, from what she could know. 

Wonder why they never got their own museum exhibition. Well, when she grows up and becomes an archeologist, she'd make sure it happened.

She decided to look away from another set of old bones, and instead turned to a display of jewels and weapons. Of course, there were some bones with it too, but if she focused enough she could ignore the sight. 

Whoever that person was, they were obviously beloved. Their arm was decked in bracelets, some incrusted with gemstones. Mosaic wreaths added the impression of colorful flowers, put there by the people that have cared about them until their last breath. The weapons shown were simple: daggers and knives, spearheads. Maybe that person wasn't a warrior, but by the sheer number of coins and gemstones surrounding their remains, it was obvious they were someone rich and powerful. Tina crouched down a bit, to read the plaque.

_The Traveling Child  
Remains found in a grave by the Patiala Temple in Pendjab, India. Dated 1500 CE.   
This young boy of mixed South American and Caucasian origins died of a skull fracture around 12 years old. He was interred with great respect and rich offerings which were normally saved for people of significance._

Tina looked at the remains. An arm, some ribs, part of a spine; no skull in sight. Maybe this was only part of the whole display, which was likely being kept in whatever Indian museum had lent it for this exhibition. It felt a little weird to think about, honestly. She was about to turn her eyes away again and head to another hall, when something suddenly caught her eye.

"...hey, Leon. Get your butt over here for a minute.”

He did after a while of staring at some sacrificial knives, quickly returning to being disinterested.

“Can we get out of it? That was fun for a minute, but now this place gives me the creeps.”

“Yeah, I know. Do you have your necklace?”

Leon rose a brow, but pulled out the pendant from his pocket.

“Yeah.”

She gestured for it, and he handed it to her, not understanding. Tina held the pendant by the glass, squinting, and very soon her suspicions were founded.

In the middle of the display of jewels and gold, was a simple necklace. It was tarnished and a bit dirty, but there was no mistaking it; the design was the exact same. Leon noticed it too, and his eyes darted from one pendant to the other, slowly understanding.

“Wait. What the…? They're–?”

“They're the _same_.”

Tina took out her phone, quickly looked around, and snapped a picture of the display. Zooming on it, there was no doubt. The same engravings, the same shape, the same sunray patterns over its surface. 

“That's...certainly curious.”, Leon said after a time. “You think that means anything? It seems like it means anything.”

“It might be a coincidence. Maybe it's just a random design choice.”

She looked down at the pendant still in her palm. In her domain of work, there were no coincidences. A thought struck her, and she quickly snapped a picture of Leon's jewel, to run a quick reverse image search.

“But it pays to be sure.”

It took some scrolling and more clicking away, but results eventually popped up. This same design of intertwined sun and moon showed up, some more different than others, but all fairly coherent. Like the three hares, it appeared in many sources and places all over the world, without anyone could ever pin down its meaning. 

It seemed to be found everywhere. Decorating Vietnamese drums, painted onto Japanese tapestries, signing Persian scrolls, engraved in Greek frontispieces, borne by so many statues throughout the world: this sun emblem was ubiquitous. Tina recalled having seen it before while looking up Atlantean civilizations, but never put two and two together. She sat down on a nearby bench as she frantically scrolled through the thousands of images that were coming up as she refined her search; eventually, she found her way to a Wikipedia article about it, and read through as Leon sat by.

“So...what's so great about it?”, he asked, putting his necklace back on. “Is it like the pyramid eye or something?”

“Better. We're onto something here.”

Leon simply shrugged, looking at the remains of the Traveling Child in front of them. How curious that these two boys shared the same necklace, he thought. 

Honestly, he never asked much about it. When his mother gave it to him for his fifth birthday, he just accepted it as a subpar gift, compared to a brand new video game. Yet he's worn it to please her, because it was tradition, and because she had no other child to give it to. It wasn't that ugly, to be fair; merely tacky and old-fashioned. But his mom was how she was, and he never questioned it. He had other things to do, to be honest.

But now, there was a smudge of doubt in his mind. Was there something... _more_ to it? Tina seemed to think so. This sunny symbol was apparently a very spread one, so widespread that he's never heard of it before. Was it an amulet for some obscure religion? A reconnaissance sign for members of a forbidden order? 

He pulled the coin from its socket, fiddled with it for a moment before putting it back. Why it did that, he had no clue, but figured it was some sort of locket mechanism thingy. At least it made for a silly way of passing time when he was bored and out of phone battery. He looked at Tina still flipping through her notes, then back at the display.

“...”

He stood up, and walked closer, to read the plaque again. India, huh? He knew his mom wasn't from there, her family was native to the South. She sometimes claimed their lineage traced back to before Columbus, and he wasn't sure what to think of that. But if the Traveling Child was from there too, then perhaps…?

No, that was stupid. He couldn't believe that. There couldn't be a link. He looked at the displayed necklace, then at his own, and for a moment– _a single moment–_

Tina rose her head, putting her phone back in her pocket. Standing up, she stood by her cousin, and they shared a glance. 

“There's something under all of this.”, he said. “I can feel it.”

“Just like you say you can feel things?”

“No. This time...it's different.”

He looked at the bones for another moment, then turned around and walked away. Tina followed, not wanting him to get into trouble.

“What do you mean, different?”, she asked, a little annoyed.

“Look, I don't know. I just...I feel weird. It's all these bones. I want to go outside.”

Well, it was about lunch time, anyway. They'd come back in the afternoon, with plenty of time to spare. A bit of air would do her good too, she felt.

Even though she's packed some sandwiches, Celia had left her with some money, just in case. Half an hour later, the two kids were sitting at a café not far, drinking some lemonade. Tina was going through her notes, re-reading some scribbles about the sun emblem that she'd put down months ago without a second thought.

“I'm not sure of what it means.”, she said. “It's _got_ to have a meaning, I'm sure of that; but what?”

Leon kept blowing bubbles in his drink for a moment, thoughtfully messing with the coin. He spun it on the table, catching it right before it fell off, and it sent sunlight dancing between their glasses. 

“Maybe it's some kind of meme. Like...it's got no meaning, they just thought it was pretty. And I've been wearing the Inca equivalent of a trollface on my neck for years.”

“A premium meme, then. It's been used as the seal of kings and emperors for a good while. And look: it's on coats of arms, too.”

“So...does that mean we're royalty, you an' I? Like...lost Inca princes or whatever, descended from...uh...Emperor Montezumba the Third?”

“You, royalty? Don't make me laugh.”

He scoffed, but didn't pick it up. 

“Although...maybe it's not that far-fetched. Apparently, that kid was some sort of noble figure. Like a priest, or a knight.”

“Knighted at twelve? Bet he was married at thirteen.”

“Well, he kind of died before that could happen.”

“Hey, you never know in these old times.”

Tina scrolled down the hesitant webpage of some Indian museum, finding nothing she didn't already know or guess about the Traveling Child. After a while, she put down her phone with a sigh, and resumed sipping her drink. 

“Why does that bother you so much?”, Leon asked. “Maybe it's just a coincidence.”

“It does, that's all. Didn't you say you felt something, too?”

“Yeah, but...didn't think you'd believe me.”

She looked at him for a moment, and he turned his eyes away in embarrassment. 

“You know I'm ready to believe the unbelievable, dude. So if you have something to say, speak now or forever hold your tongue.”

Leon blew some more bubbles in his drink, looking towards the street. He put down his glass, and searched his words for a moment, still facing away. 

“I just thought that...this guy and us, we're somehow related. We have the same necklace, maybe it's because they come from the same place. What if he's a distant cousin or something?”

“Well, that's...possible, yeah. Five centuries' gap, we might never know.”

Leon looked at his necklace, putting the coin back into its socket. He rubbed it on his sleeve to clean up fingerprints, and watched how its newlyfound shine reflected the terrasse around them. Tina picked up her phone, searched her messages for a moment, and after some hesitation decided to text tia Celia a couple questions about it. Nothing unusual, simply curiosity.

“Whatcha looking at?”, she asked Leon, who's been staring at his pendant for a while now.

He raised his head, and looked behind him. 

“There's somethin' over there.”

Tina leaned over to see it, and indeed it caught her attention, the same way it already got that of a small crowd's.

Coming up slowly was a couple of trucks, preceded and followed by smaller warning vehicles. And they got to be the biggest trucks Tina had ever seen, for they carried something so big and heavy that she wondered how the heck they could even be running. 

They've thrown a plastic tarp over it and tried to tie it down with as many straps as they could, but there was no hiding it. There was no concealing that golden gleam that reflected the sunlight, sent it bouncing into their eyes. There was no mistaking this shape she could see, the distinguishable shape of a beak.

“Dude.”, Tina breathed. “That's the great golden bird.”

She stood up slowly, watched the trucks as they made their way down the road in a great deal of dust and noise. They had to be slow, otherwise their load would fall off and possibly injure dozens; even in this state, they could feel just how impressive it was, they could _sense_ its shine through the grime and tarp and metal.

Tina stared at the silhouette of the beak as it drove past her, unable to draw her eyes away from it. The great golden bird, right here! In front of her! She could run into the street and even _touch it_ , if she felt like losing an arm or two in the process, but it was _here_! What could the odds ever be?!

The convoy stopped at a red light, about to enter a difficult crossing. Right in front of the café, the truck was almost taking up the entire street, to the dismay of other drivers. Despite all the strapping job they've done on the bird, part of the flap was fluttering in the hot wind brought up by this caravan's journey, revealing another golden surface underneath. Tina leaned a little closer to the street, like she wanted to peek at it. Unblinking, she stared at it, drawn closer by her unending fascination. Suddenly, the wind lifted it up, and the golden metal reflected the sunlight right into her eyes. She turned her face away, stepping back onto the sidewalk, colorful spots dancing in her eyes; by the time they disappeared, the convoy had resumed, and the bird was out of sight.

“That was the coolest shit ever!”, Leon cheered. “The golden bird's right here! You think they're going to dissect it?”

“I...don't know.”

Tina rubbed at her eyes for a moment, looking in direction of the convoy. Weird...for a moment, she could have sworn…

"...you don't seem that excited. Thought you'd be all over the place.”

“I am. It's just that… I was staring at it, and the sun got in my eyes. But when it did, I could swear it was...”

She blinked, not believing what she was about to say.

“It was... _staring back._ ”

“What?”

“I don't know how to describe it. There was... _something_ , and it was looking at me. I saw it in the light.”

“Maybe there was someone on board?”

“No, it's not that. It's...the light. The _light_ was looking at me.”

Leon tilted his head, sending her a worried glare.

“I know it sounds weird! But that's what I saw.”

It was definitely a weird sight, if she could even call it that. But she was sure of it. In the split second where her eyes had not been blinded, she could swear she'd seen a silhouette. A face. It wasn't a reflection or an illusion, but she didn't know how to describe it.

She took out her phone, to see if Celia had replied. Not yet; however, she went to check the news about the Seila excavation. It seemed they've decided to move the great golden bird to a research site in the area, where they could study it better. Out of curiosity, she plugged the town into Google Maps, ran some numbers. Her heart picked up the pace when she saw there were buses available, and that one was leaving soon. It was an hour-and-a-half trip back and front, but they could pull it off.

"...we're following it.”

Leon looked at her with wide eyes.

“Whaaaa?”

“We're following it. There's a bus leaving in fifteen minutes. We can make it to Cibola in an hour and a half, and still be back in time for when Celia picks us up.”

“Wait, waitwaitwait. You're...suggesting we go _see_ the lab where they keep that bird? And that we disobey mom's trust?”

“This is a once in a lifetime opportunity. We're onto something, I know it! First the necklace, and now the bird! Don't you feel there's something going on?”

“Why would the necklace have anything to do with the bird?”

He wasn't wrong. _Why?_ What link was there, besides one she was totally making up? What reason had she to follow that impulse, based on a simple optical illusion?

Something came to mind. The impression of an idea, a figment of memory. She took out her phone, and looked through the pictures she'd taken of various exhibits during their morning visit at the museum. She swiped through them, looking for something she didn't even know of, until she spotted it.

A picture of some Inca tapestries and scrolls, covered with rich drawings of colorful ink. At first, she had focused on the ones in the middle, the ones picturing feathered serpents and jaguars. But there was one to the side that now piqued her interest even more.

The picture was blurry, but she remembered it clearly. A bird under the sun, wings spread over the world as if it wanted to encompass all of humanity under its wingspan. Beneath it, a human figure, hands raised as if to call upon it; and underneath still, the sun emblem. The very one that had plagued her mind for the past hour.

The bird, the child, the sun. The figure she saw in the light. The ancient plane. The traveling child. The great golden bird.

It didn't make sense. It didn't make an ounce of sense. But somehow...somehow, it felt as if all of these were pieces of a puzzle. A puzzle she _needed_ to solve. And the key to it all lied in the great golden bird that was right in their reach.

"...I don't know.”, she finally said. “But I want to find out.”

Leon looked at her, unsure at all. It was hard to say he didn't want to follow her, but the weight of the consequences was definitely tipping off his moral balance. Should this prove a mistake, he'd never hear the end of it; but should it be right…

"...you know mom's gonna kill us both for this, right?”

“We all have to die someday.”

He sighed.

“Alright. But we get ice cream on the way back, or I tell on you.”

“Trust me. This will be worth all the ice cream in the world.”

“That's bullshit, but I believe it.”

Tina smiled. She finished her glass in one go, left some cash on the table, and the two of them made their way to the bus station.

The key was right in reach.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tina: hey let's do this dangerous thing  
> Leon: fuck no i'm not risking _la chancla_


	4. Freedom

“Do you have, like... _any_ idea of what you're doing?”

Tina sighed, looking out the window.

“Look. I know it's difficult, but...I feel it. I feel we're onto something. This isn't a coincidence.”

She opened her notebook once more, to read the many notes and scribbles spread over its pages.

“I can't help but feel it. There's a connection. I just...I know it, that's all!”

“The mystical kind of connection, I hope?”

“Almost.”

She looked at the sun emblem that she's sketched, along with a reproduction of the sunbird tapestry that she found online. The child depicted bore the emblem on their chest, a bit like a necklace as well. Did the Traveling Child have something to do with the great golden bird? Did it mean that, by extension, she too could have something to link her to it? Or was it all illusions, impressions that'd get her in huge trouble?

“I don't know if that's true. But we _have_ to see it. Even if there's nothing, I'm just not passing on an opportunity to see the bird from up close.”

“So what? You'll just...waltz into a highly-guarded research lab and ask to see it? Don't you know what happens next?”

He feigned to shoot her with his fingers. Obviously, it wouldn't be as easy. But sadly, she hadn't thought that far ahead. That was unlike her, honestly, but...that was true. Why had she done this? Why hadn't she thought up a more sensible plan? And why was Leon so on board with this? They were both fully aware of the consequences, of Celia's anger and of the terrible punishment she'd suffer at the hands of la Cojona, and yet–

None of this made sense. And yet, here they were, reaching the Albuquerque bus station. Well, there was no turning back now.

“So.”, Leon said, once they stepped out after a long bus ride. “Where do we go now, genius?”

Tina picked her phone, frowning a little about her upcoming lack of battery. All this photo-taking took its toll on her old tool.

“Cibola's just a walk away. Just right...this way.”

“Praise Google. I can't imagine how people got around back in the day.”

“They had maps too, dimwit. Now they're just on screens.”

She had no idea what they were looking for. All her sources said was that the great golden bird would be brought to a nearby small town for research; but it gave no address or phone number. Not that she'd have wanted to call; she had no idea what to say in such a situation. The discovery would obviously be well-guarded, and entry barred to any tourists. Even if Tina claimed to be a researcher, she was but a middle schooler with no business anywhere near a finding this big and unknown.

Guess they'd have to improvise.

“Know what this feels like? Some action movie where we're secret agents chasing a UFO taken by the government.”

“This doesn't make a lot of sense.”

“Who cares? People watch it anyway. Might as well give them what they want.”

And he mimicked a spy going around discretely, holding a gun at every street corner.

“I've never met spies, but I'm pretty sure they don't do that.”

“How can you be so sure, if you've never met one? Maybe they do, and they're just very good at their jobs.”

"...riiiiight.”

It didn't take a lot of walking to find the gigantic convoy. They've left urban areas a while ago, now finding themselves in some sort of industrial zone that wasn't exactly hospitable. Cranes and trucks were helping unload the great golden bird with endless care; they've somehow detached the wings off the body to transport it easily. The sun had hidden behind clouds, allowing the kids to see the huge construct without it blinded them.

Even from a distance and behind fences, it was impressive. Just how many machines did it take to move it? It was easily the size of a small building, and the wingspan ought to be absolutely fantastic. Tina couldn't help but snap a few pictures, for this was definitely a memory worth keeping.

They removed most of the tarp and safety straps, moving the bird into an upright position. The eyes on its head were staring ahead like car headlights, giving it a sharp look not unlike its beak. It was a huge statue of gold, and yet it almost felt like it _could_ see what was going on, like these eyes weren't just there for decoration. Like there was...something to it that could look, just like it had looked at Tina before.

“We have to get closer.”, she said.

“How so? That's the closest we can go already. And we're a street away!”

Indeed. Past this point, security would be reinforced, maybe with guns and police and whatnot. There was no way they could get any closer without risking their life or freedom.

“We could...pretend we're lost?”

“They're not stupid. They'll see through us like glass. And maybe shoot through us like glass too.”

Leon looked at the hangars where they were starting to load the great golden bird. Soon it would be out of sight, for maybe ever.

“Maybe if we're honest and ask nicely, they'll let us see?”

“If we step a single foot inside this area, we'll likely be arrested.”

She carefully drew her foot away from what she perceived to be the border of the restricted area. There were already a couple police cars nearby, and what looked like military vehicles.

“We'd just have to ask beforehand.”, Leon continued. “Do you have their phone number?”

“It's useless, I tell you.”

She sighed. Guess that was it, then. There was no way they could come any closer. She started to turn around, and try to figure out how to get home without Celia or anyone else got mad at them.

“Well, we came all this way to see this big chicken, so we might as well.”

And he started climbing the fence. Tina froze in her tracks, looking at him.

“What are you doing!?”

“You brought us all the way here to see this big bird, so now we're seeing it. Come on, don't tell me you used up all our cash on a bus trip and you're only now chickening out!”

He let himself fall on the other side, feet firmly planted on the forbidden side of the asphalt.

“Come on! You said it was mystical shit, didn't you? It's worth it!”

“I never said that! Get back here!”

He snorted at her reaction, and instead kept walking into the restricted zone.

“Well, I wanna see it. If we're going to be in trouble, might as well make it worth the punishment!”

“I swear I'll kill you if you don't come back!”

“Mom said you had to keep an eye on me, right? Then come do so!”

And he escaped behind a building. Tina cursed him and herself, but it seemed she wouldn't have the choice. She was already knee-deep in trouble, and was about to dive right in it; but Leon was right. If this was her only chance, then she only had right now to seize it.

“If I'm still alive tomorrow, I'll kill him.”

And she climbed the fence as well.

Her heart started racing when her feet touched the other side. If what they've done today was morally questionable, now they were starting to enter the domain of illegality. She wasn't sure she was old enough to risk jail time, but there'd definitely be repercussions. She'd lose Celia's trust, her dad's good will and definitely several bones from a thorough beating. And what would she gain in return? A closer sight of the golden bird, and the feeling of chasing a dream?

...well, okay. That felt like good enough a tradeoff.

“I sense your worry.”, Leon snickered as the two of them hid behind a wall. “But fear not. I'll guide us to that hangar without anyone sees us.”

“Oh, and how exactly do you plan on doing that?”

He didn't answer, and simply took a slow breath, closing his eyes. Oh boy, here we go, Tina thought. When Leon opened them again, he stood up in a weird stance, like a clumsy raptor.

“I'm powered up. Let's go.”

“This isn't Metal Gear, you know. If we get caught, there's no second chances.”

“We won't get caught.”

And he raptor-walked his way forward. Tina groaned, looking around for cameras, and followed anxiously. Her heart was pounding in her ears, and the thought of all the possible failures of this plan made her feel sick. They were _definitely_ going to jail.

Well, at least she's had a good enough life.

Leon looked around a corner; luckily, security wasn't that well-put just yet. They were only now beginning to close up access to the hangars, as most of the research people had arrived. The great golden bird had been unloaded; now to align the pieces and put them back together. Everyone would be busy around the bird to notice the kids, but there could still be a chance they'd be spotted.

No time to waste, then. Staying out of sight, they slowly made their way closer, keeping behind cars and walls and outposts whenever possible. Tina had never snuck out of the house yet, but she had long years of experience on moving around silently; as for Leon, whatever ninja shit he was believing in right now was enough to keep him quiet. They managed to make their way behind the hangar without being caught, and Tina let herself grab the wall for support.

“This is insane!”, she whispered. “We're really doing this!”

“The bird's right behind this door.”

Unfortunately, it was locked. To be so close, yet so far from their goal!

“Wait. That works in movies, maybe...”

Tina took a bobby pin from her hair, and got to the door. She tried to stick it into the lock, but realized she had absolutely no idea how to do so. Well, movies could only get them so far…

“What? You can't pick it?”

“Look, I don't know how to, okay? In movies they just...jam it in, twist it around, and it's done.”

“Can't you google how to do it? I'm sure there's tips somewhere.”

“I'm almost out of battery, and you want me to rack extra data charges? You're crazy!”

“Hey, what are you kids doing here!?”

They froze, and looked up. They've been spotted!

“Oh shit, run!!”

“Get back here!”

They made a run for it and bolted in the opposite direction, back where they came from. But this time, they couldn't be as discret, for there were other people by the fence.

“Hey, you there!”

Tina nearly fell down breaking her run, looking around in desperation. This was bad! They got caught, and now they'd go to prison!

“What do we do!?”, Leon squeaked, grabbing onto her arm. “I don't wanna go to jail!”

“What are you two doing here!? This is a restricted area, you're not allowed to be here!”

Panic was taking over reason. The logical thing would have been to run to the exit while no one had their guns out, and no one would chase them for trespassing. This was the right thing to do, and yet in her anxiety-driven fear, Tina could only curse herself as she unconsciously made the wrong choice.

She ran towards the hangar, where she'd be safe from the open space. Footsteps started chasing, and Leon squeaked louder, struggling to follow. Her feet ran so fast, it felt like floating; she was trembling, her heart racing. The hangar doors were half-closed, yet the kids made their way in before they could be caught. Still not thinking straight, she pushed a random button on the side, and the doors finished closing all the way. It was a miracle no one had caught them yet, but it'd only be a few seconds' rest.

“Shit, what do we do now?!”

“I don't know! I panicked, okay!?”, Tina erupted.

“You panicked, and now we're gonna go to jail! I don't want to go to juvie before I even got a boyfriend! This is all your fault!!”

“Look, we'll get out of here! Just– just don't worry!”

“I'm not worrying at all!! _I'm perfectly calm, don't you see it?!?!_ ”

She looked around frantically. The hangar might have been a large space, but it felt awfully tight in comparison of the huge golden bird it now held. It was standing up with the help of some hesitant scaffolding, its wings already lifted up and ready to be reattached. Cranes and forklifts were moving around, busying themselves with carrying pieces of the machine to put it together again. Despite the fear of the moment, it truly felt like a majestic sight to behold.

The buzzing of the hangar doors sounded out again, and they slowly started to open. Tina frantically darted her eyes around, trying to spot a hiding place they could disappear in. Her vision was getting blurry, and she felt like a rabbit in a wolfpit; maybe it was anxiety and fear catching up, but for a moment– a split second– she saw it again.

In a sliver of light coming from the ceiling windows, illuminating the bird, she saw it. She saw the whatever from earlier, and it was looking at her. This time, she hold the stare, for just a moment, a single moment; and illogical thoughts got a hold of her again. She grabbed Leon's hand, and ran forward.

“What are you doing!?”

“I don't know!”

He was trying to catch up to her faster legs, struggling to catch his breath. In the rush of their haste, his necklace slipped over his collar, and that's when it happened.

She didn't see it clearly. It was too fast, too sudden. For a moment, a single slice of a moment, the little piece of gold got caught in the sunlight, slipping from the boy's shirt; it was nothing but a moment, a butterfly's wingbeat. But somehow, this was enough to cause the fallout. Like a chain reaction, the room suddenly turned brighter, as employees all over stopped and realized what was going on. Their attention shifted from the trespassers to the light, to the trembling that was starting to shake the ground under their feet. A piece of scaffolding fell out, and people hurried to leave the scene; but Tina kept running, drawn closer by the _whatever_ that had brought her here, and let the light blind her as it grew. She ran without seeing where she was going, Leon's hold still dragging her back, and everything got bathed in white. Was it panic? Was it light? She had no idea, and she ignored it. She had to keep running, she _had to_. So she ran, and ran until she felt the bird tremble again. Leon suddenly dragged her away from here, and voices started to shout out warnings. The buzzing of the opening doors was becoming louder, but it didn't come from behind them; no, this time it was right in front of them. In front of them, something was opening. Something– the _bird_ , the _bird_ was moving…

The light receded, and she regained a semblance of sight. More scaffolding fell out, and they barely managed to get out of the way in time as the bird's head lowered to the ground. Was it losing balance? Was it about to fall and squash them? No, it wasn't an illusion, nor the effects of gravity; it was lowering its neck, its head, it was moving; it made noise as it did, a horrible creaking noise of metal that hadn't moved in ages; and slowly, it opened its beak, like it was about to bite, but it didn't do so. It opened its beak, and when the light stopped dancing in Tina's eyes, she could very well see what looked like a ladder.

She glanced at Leon, who shared the same wide eyes as her. They were too deep in it to think rationally, they had people coming after them, and this irrepressible feeling that something was going on. There was no coming back from it.

She grabbed his hand, and they ran to the beak. This time, she finally laid her hands on it, and the golden metal was warm to the touch. But she hadn't got time to question it, and instead made her way up the ladder, as fast as she could. Leon followed, deciding to trust her even though there was no reason to go along with her crazy absence of a plan, and the two of them ended up in what was very well looking like a pilot's cabin.

“It's...a plane.”, Leon breathed. “A plane! It has seats and all!”

The beak closed behind them, offering no chance for their pursuers to chase them. At least they were safe now; but that also meant they were trapped. Tina felt her chest was about to burst; she made her way to one of the seats, and let herself fall in.

“I can't believe it...we're in the great golden bird! We're _actually_ inside it!”

“Calm down, please.”, she pleaded. “My head's gonna explode...”

“Calm down? Have you seen where we are?! This is amazing!! We get to see it in actual, real life! Oh, this was so much a good idea!!”

“Shut up!”

She sat up, catching her breath.

“It was a bad idea, okay!? Now we're trapped, and we can either stay here forever or definitely get caught! What was I _thinking!?_ Why the...”

She panted, hands on her knees.

"...why did I do that? What...why? This isn't like me...”

“Like you or not, you did it. And...we kinda have to deal with it now.”

He sat on the seat next to her, rubbing the glass dome over their heads with his sleeve. Outside, people were gathering, trying to find a way to open the bird and repair the broken scaffolding. It wouldn't be long before they'd succeed and these two would be forced out of hiding.

Despite all her attempts, Tina couldn't get to calm her heart to a reasonable beat. So she accepted the eventual panic attack, and looked around her. The cabin was strangely modern-looking, with a surprisingly small number of commands for a plane this size. Only some rows of buttons surrounding a central screen; was that all it took to navigate this giant bird? Could it even fly, or was it merely a fancy truck?

No, that was impossible. This bird was way too old to be able to move, much less fly. Plus, its wings have been disassembled, there was no way…

“There's no way this thing can fly.”

She put her hand on what looked like a dashboard, letting her fingers brush away the years of dust and grime on its surface. Under all the traces of time, it still shone a beautiful gold color.

_“Puede volar. Créame.”_

She blinked, and looked at Leon. But her cousin hadn't moved from his seat, still busy looking outside.

"...what's you said?”

He turned to her, head tilted. Tina dismissed it, thinking it was her imagination.

“Sería milagroso...”, she muttered to herself. “Cosa es muy vieja.”

She didn't really know why the sudden Spanish, but figured it was simply a bilingual thing. Honestly, she had other things to worry about for now.

_“...espere. Me entiendes? You can...understand?”_

She raised her head again. This time, the voice definitely didn't come from Leon's direction. Was there someone else on board? She looked around, but there were only the two of them in the cabin.

“Who's there?”

“Who's where?”, Leon blinked. “What's going on?”

“I...I think I heard something.”

She let go of the dashboard, looking behind the seats. Was there someone else in there? It sounded like a young voice. The idea of some other kid being caught in the same situation as them made it a little easier to bear, in all honesty.

“Who's there? Show yourself!”

Something caught her eye: a light on the dashboard was weakly flickering. Was...was this thing still working? She brushed some dust off it, revealing a weird circular emblem in the center. When her hand touched to it, the voice spoke out again.

_“Keep your hands there!”_

She froze. It came from right behind her, but no one was there.

“Who are you!? Show yourself!”

“Tina, what are you talking about? You're hearing things, now?”

“There's someone! Someone speaking! I– what's going on!?”

_“Don't panic! This is normal! Es normal, entiendes? No tengas miedo!”_

“No tengo miedo! I'm not afraid of you!”

“I'm ditched. What?”

The light spread from the emblem, coursed along the dashboard like a gleaming snake, and disappeared over some sort of trapdoor. It opened up, and another snake, a real one this time, slithered out. Tina yelped and fell back into the middle seat, before realizing this was only a jewel.

“What's going on!?”, she panicked.

_“Just grab it! We don't have much time!”_

Leon gasped, watching the scene unfold with wide eyes.

“Dude...what if that's some kind of gear shift? What if– !?”

She looked at him frantically.

“What if _what!?_ ”

“What if the bird wants you to pilot it?!”

 _Pilot it!?!_ She didn't even have her driver's license! Does it look like she knew how to handle _planes!?_

 _“Quick, grab it!”_ , the voice continued. _“I'll explain! But we have to get out of here!”_

She didn't know what to do. She sat up, still scared, staring at the snake gear shift with no idea of how to go about this. Caught like a deer in the headlights, met with unknown voices, there wouldn't be many ways for this situation to go.

Outside, a crane had gotten a hold of the great golden bird, and the whole thing started to shake as it was being lifted up. If she didn't act quickly, they'd be caught and all would be over; so she let panic take a hold of her, and grabbed the snake with both hands.

_“Perfect. Now hold still, I need you to focus!”_

“Focus on what?”

She looked into the ruby eyes of the snake, as if it were the one talking to her. That was as good of a focal point as anything else. The bird shook again, its entire surface trembling, but this time there was something else to it. A whirr, a mechanical noise. A vibration that shook the dirt and sand off the gold, revealing more and more of its shine.

All of a sudden, the whole construct shone bright like a lighthouse. People screamed out, blinded by the light, and Tina screamed too. But her hands were welded to the snake, unable to let go, as if electricity was coursing through her and blocking her muscles. A horrible metal creaking followed, and something hit the bird's right side so hard it almost made it tip. Then the same impact came to the left, and put it back in balance. Other smaller impacts happened all over its carcass, and the entire place started to shake violently. Tina started to cry, unable to control herself, and Leon was curled up on his seat without he could move. Panic was taking over, digging its claws into them as unknown things were happening all around.

The noise got louder, the whirring omnipresent around them. The light receded, and the dashboard lit up in a flurry of colors. Something clicked in there, and the snake became much less stiff, as if child safety has been taken off. Tina didn't know what she was doing, she's long renounced on knowing; she wasn't in control anymore. All she wanted now was to _get out of here_ , and she'd do it no matter what.

Dust had shed off the glass dome, allowing her to see in front of her. Without thinking, she pushed the handle forward, and the bird started to _move._

It was slow at first. It was subtle. But as the sun reappeared from behind the ceiling windows, something seemed to ease, like useless weight thrown off. The bird shook up, everything around went down, for the plane was going _up_. The murmur was building up, gathering its forces, packing up heat like a truck at a red light; and then, out of nowhere, it released it all, and the bird flew out of the hangar. Tina screamed when it hit the doors, yet easily broke through the cheap metal and escaped outside. And the moment sunlight draped over its entire wingspan, the rest of it woke up back to life.

_“Thank you! I'll take over.”_

The snake suddenly retracted out of Tina's hands, and the bird moved without she made it do so. Its wings creaked as they moved, everything shook as the bird started flying higher, thrusting on its engine to take off faster than any plane this size ever could. The streets below them started disappearing under the skyline, higher than anything Tina's ever known, and it took her a good moment in her panic to realize that they were _flying._ The bird, the great golden bird was _actually flying!_ And she was on board, she was– she had escaped the lab, she was flying!! What in the world was going on!?

“This is crazy!”, Leon shouted out. “We're– we're flying! This is real!”

“I don't like this! Not at all!”

The bird kept going up, through the clouds, through the sky, like nothing could stop it. Like a balloon set free, it flew ever higher, out of reach and out of sight, gliding effortlessly like it was the most natural thing in the world. Soon it recovered a horizontal direction, and Tina's heart calmed a little. Another minute or so, and it slowed down to a cruise speed, now flying with the ease and calm of a seagull over the water.

That's when the voice spoke again. And this time, Leon swore he could hear it too.

 _“Thank you so much!”_ , it said happily. _“I couldn't have done this without you. I knew you had it in you.”_

The lights on the dashboard were blinking as it spoke, like a mp3 player's soundbars. Tina hesitantly sat up, trying to make sense of all of this.

"...you're welcome.”, is all she could say.

“Duuuuude.”, Leon gasped. “What's this? Who's talking right now?”

_“Oh! I'm sorry. I was in a rush, I kind of forgot my manners here. Wait, let me...”_

The slithers of light appeared again. They moved up, gathered on the sunny emblem for a moment; and then, they sprouted out like flowers, growing into a luminous blob that shaped itself in a matter of seconds. The light then dimmed somewhat, until the cousins could make up a silhouette projected in front of them, like some sort of hologram. A child's silhouette, who was smiling at them.

_“My name's Esteban, and this is the Golden Condor. Welcome aboard!”_


	5. Crime

About two miles above ground, flying over a patch of forest in northern New Mexico, the bird was trailing the sky like it slowly remembered how to. Following its small feathered brethren, it was gliding effortlessly, gilded wings cutting through clouds and winds, sunlight caressing its broken and dirty husk. Its body bore the wounds that still couldn't heal, pieces of its shell cut away to reveal the cogs and pistons underneath, clogged with dirt and splinters of rock. It felt like a caged animal being returned to the wild, like a creature that's been kept from its natural element for far too long and had escaped into the unknown. They were so high now that streets, houses and cars were but ants in the distance, and the feeling of solid ground was a foreign memory.

Slowly, Tina sat up on the pilot's seat, staring at the strange hologram in front of her. She blinked, trying to make sense of all of this, but nothing came to mind. Panic was still echoing in her mind, and her heartbeat hadn't exactly calmed down yet. And now, there was this...person with them, talking to them in a faint Spanish accent through something that felt like telepathy.

“The...Golden Condor?”, she repeated, intrigued. “Is that how you call the great golden bird?”

 _“It has many names.”_ , Esteban replied. _“That's only one of them.”_

He moved from the dashboard, making no noise or movement whatsoever, and sat on the left seat to stretch out his arms. It sent lots of little sparks flying, particles of light bouncing about as his form seemed to adjust to something.

_“Speaking about names, you've yet to give me yours.”_

Tina tilted her head, not sure about answering that request. But Leon was faster, and maybe less weirded out by it all.

“I'm Leon. That's my cousin Tina. We're in middle school.”

_“It's a pleasure to meet you.”_

Esteban smiled, and looked between the two of them, as if searching something. Tina didn't like being scrutinized by this apparition, but as he did so, she noticed the way his face looked. Eyes drowned in light, his traits hard to make out, and yet the certitude that he was staring at her; she's seen him before. By the truck, and back in the hangar.

“So...don't wanna be rude, but... _what_ are you, exactly? A ghost?”

“Please don't haunt us.”

 _“A ghost?”_ , Esteban blinked. _“Well...I never thought about it, but I suppose you can call it that? I definitely know I'm dead, that's for sure. And...I'm sort of bound to the Condor, now, but I don't know the details. You'd have to ask Killa when she wakes.”_

“Who?”

_“My mother. We share this vessel.”_

Okay. Okay, that was...definitely a lot to take in. Tina fell back in her seat, still flabbergasted by everything she's just seen and heard. It was all so weird, and yet! Yet she was there! Oh boy, what a day this has been!

_“So, which one of you bears the medallion?”_

“The what now?”

_“You know. The Medallion of the Sun? The Condor responded to its signal, so it means one of you has it.”_

The cousins exchanged a glance, before Leon sat up.

“You mean this thing?”

And he pulled out the necklace form his shirt. Esteban opened wide eyes, and light rippled over his hologram like a shudder as he darted closer.

_“That's it!”_

Slowly, his fingers touched to the pendant, and the engravings lit up. Leon gasped, drawing his face away in fear, but nothing happened. Esteban stared at it like a treasure, delicately taking it in hand without he could truly grasp it.

_“I can't believe it...”_

He looked up at Leon.

_“I recognize it. That's Zia's medallion. How did you...where did you get it?”_

"...from my mother? It's, uh...like a family heirloom, kinda? We– we didn't steal it, I swear!”

_“Family?”_

Esteban stood up, and his eyes went between the two of them.

 _“That must mean...you're_ her _family.”_

Slowly, he approached Tina, who drew back in her seat. Gently, very gently, he touched to her cheek, and she found out it felt like a gentle sunray. There was no weight to his touch, only warmth; there were no ill intentions in his eyes, only a slow understanding.

 _“You're_ their _family.”_

__

She saw he looked about to cry. His voice was all quiet, and his fingers trembling. Did he…?

“You...know our family?”, she asked tentatively.

Slowly, he nodded. And only then did he look around.

The Condor was covered in dirt. Being recently excavated, it was still bearing the traces of its long time spent buried in desert sands; there was a thick covering of dust and grime all over the seats, commands and walls, so much so that it would be impossible to guess it was made of gold. Esteban disappeared behind the dirty glass dome, supposedly to look at their surroundings, and let out a noise of surprise.

 _“How long has it been?”_ , he asked, coming back in. _“How long have I been asleep?”_

“Uh...not sure?”

Tina looked at her phone.

“We're on Friday 27th of April 2012.”

_“Two thousand and how much–!?”_

The Condor's lights reacted to his shock, shining all bright for a second.

_“That means it's been…!”_

He scratched his head, and started counting on his fingers, but gave up after a time.

_“It's been at least five centuries since I died! And who knows how long since we stopped flying!”_

“Whoah, really? You don't look that old.”

He didn't. He had the appearance of a young boy, dressed in strange clothing that did look somewhat 16th century-ish. Tina noticed a pendant on his chest, that bore the same sun emblem as Leon; except it was only the moon half of it.

 _“Five centuries...”_ , he repeated. _“You're not as close descendants as I'd have thought. And yet...oh, you look so much like them. It's uncanny!”_

“Hey, slow down a bit. Whose descendants? Can we get an explanation, or what?”

She thought she'd been a bit rude, but Esteban realized he hadn't explained a lot either. He sat on the dashboard again, searching his words.

_“When I was...alive, I traveled with my friends in this same Condor. We went all over the world, searching for a mystery that linked us to the Cities of Gold.”_

She definitely picked that name, but chose not to interrupt Esteban.

_“We went on many adventures. But something went wrong, and I died. I'll skip the details, but...now I live on in the Condor with my mother. I was around fourteen when I died, so I guess I still am. Meanwhile, Zia and Tao grew up without me...they got married, had children, and eventually a whole lineage. She said she'd pass on her medallion, and...I see that she did.”_

He smiled. A warm smile, but a sad one as well. What could it feel like to see our friends grow up without us and eventually leave us behind? She knew it was obviously a sensitive matter, but Esteban didn't seem to be bitter about it.

“So...you're saying you knew our great-great...great-something-grandparents?”, Leon asked doubtfully.

_“I did. And we were best friends. A team nothing could break!”_

There was an 'except for' in there, that while left unspoken, weighed heavily on their minds.

_“And now, look at you two. Taking on the mantle of bearers and pilots. Isn't that great?”_

“Whoah, wait a second!”, Tina protested, sitting upright. “We're not taking _any_ mantle! This is already crazy enough as of now, we're– !!”

She locked eyes with Esteban, whose face shed all happiness in an instant.

_“You...don't want to?”_

Ah, shit. Now she made things awkward.

“It's...it's just so...so sudden! Can't we land and– I dunno, think about it in more detail before we take on anything?”

_“Well...I suppose it does feel weird. Hang on, I'll find a place to land.”_

He let himself fall back, and disappeared into the machine like he was possessing it.

_“Know what, you definitely are Tao's kid.”_

“I'm...not sure what to make of that.”

_“It's a compliment.”_

The bird trembled again, and its wingtips shifted to lead it in another direction. Leon went up to look out the windshield, watching the town below get closer.

“Hey, can you land us away from town? We're kind of in an illegal situation right now. If they catch us, that's...really bad.”

_“I can. Where should I go?”_

“Follow the interstate.”, Tina piped up. “There's a lot of empty areas.”

There was a moment of pause, during which the Condor didn't move.

_“What's an...interstate?”_

“Ah, right. Uh...see the big black road over there? Just follow it, you'll get there.”

And the bird did so, heading north out of town. Tina could finally afford to lean back in the seat and breathe a little.

She couldn't believe it. Her plan at first was to simply see the great golden bird with her own eyes; but now they've done and _stole_ the entire thing. They've stolen a precious archeological find, which was currently making top of the news! No doubt there'd be camera footage of them too; if that were to spread, which it certainly would, they'd be arrested or killed on sight wherever they set foot again. Their faces would get on TV, there'd be police reports! There'd be an irredeemable stain on her school record until the end of time! Guess she could kiss high school goodbye once and for all.

But now...maybe this was all worth it. For the Golden Condor was flying, and it was inhabited by supposedly two souls; one of which claimed to know some of her distant ancestors. She didn't know what to think of it, but all things considered, this definitely wasn't the worst part of it.

Perhaps it's even be better than she thought? If Esteban was as old as he claimed, and knew about the pendant...then maybe he knew more? For now, she'd note down all questions that came to mind in a page of her notebook. All research was held on the shoulders of thorough processing, and she wouldn't miss her chance.

The Golden Condor landed in an empty space far away from town to not be seen. There was only desert around for miles, but the interstate road in the distance offered the reassuring sight of civilization. Tina and Leon climbed down the Condor's beak, to breathe some dust-free air for a change.

“So.”, she started, standing under the shade of the large wing. “I think you owe us some explanations.”

Esteban reappeared in a ray of sun, looking already contented. Here, the Condor would have plenty of light to bathe in, and it seemed to greatly help its complexion.

_“I understand this is a weird situation. And it's been a while since I talked to anyone, so I'll explain what you want.”_

“Great.”

And she nudged Leon forward, to tug at his pendant.

“First off: what do you know about this symbol?”

Esteban didn't even look at it.

_“That's the Medallion of the Sun. There's only two in the world...give or take a few. Think of it as...a master key to the secrets of the universe.”_

“A master key?”, Leon gasped. “But it never did anything special! It's just a necklace that my mom wants me to wear.”

_“I thought so too, back when I had mine.”_

He gestured to the glimmering moon on his chest. It wasn't a real pendant, only the image of it.

_“But it's more than that. I still don't really understand how it works, but it records things. It stores data, it interacts with items built for it. It opens the Condor.”_

He pat the bird's leg.

_“And it does a lot of other things too! I wish I could demonstrate, but I don't really know how.”_

“So, it's a macguffin?”

_“A...what?”_

“You know, like. Like the One Ring, or...the Chaos Emeralds?”

Esteban looked at him dumbfounded. Tina rolled her eyes.

“Is it a powerful item that motivates your quest?”

_“Oh! It's sort of like that, yes. But that's not the only reason.”_

“That symbol appears everywhere. All throughout the world. Do you know why?”

_“I'm not totally sure. I died before I could find out.”_

Oh, great.

_“I guess it was an important symbol for the people of Mu. The sun is kind of their wh–”_

“Wait, what? What did you say?”

Esteban paused.

“You mentioned the people of Mu?”, Tina insisted.

_“Oh, yeah. They're the ones that built the Cities of Gold, and made our medallions. And the Golden Condor, too.”_

And that was the final key she needed.

The lost continent of Mu. A civilization so great that it encompassed the whole world at the dawn of mankind, and realized incredible feats while many people were barely rising. They were the first society of the world, in an age where humans lives in tribes; they had discovered all sorts of technology, whereas the world still struggled to hunt and gather food. Some claimed they were aliens, some claimed they came from the future, and some thought they were really advanced humans; but despite all their conflicting origins, the remains of their greatness could still be seen. Their symbol was found everywhere in the world, like a trace of their passage before everything was erased. Their mark was still left in history, as proven by the Golden Condor. If one bird was just starting to resurface, who's to tell there wouldn't be others? Who's to tell that after years of being told it was all lies, conspiracy theories, controversy and legends, it all turned out to be _real?_

“Well, look at that.”, Leon scoffed. “You broke her.”

_“That wasn't my intention!”_

“I'm okay. I just...need a moment.”

She sat down on a rock, trying to ignore the burning sensation of the hot sun. All of these revelations sure took their number on her, and she wasn't sure she could handle it. That changed...everything! She looked at her notes, read through her sketches and scribbles and quotes, and where she'd only seen dead ends before, she saw new routes and questions.

“The continent of Mu _did_ exist.”, she breathed out. “Do you know more about them? What happened to their people, their knowledge? And what are the Cities of Gold you spoke about!?”

_“Whoah, easy! I just woke up from a centuries-long sleep, can I at least answer slowly?”_

She felt awful at her faux-pas, but curiosity was just bubbling out of her. She couldn't help it! An occasion like this would never happen again!

“Take your time.”, Leon shrugged. “But...now you got me curious too. These things are real?”

 _“Of course they're real!”_ , Esteban scoffed. _“I was there, you know!”_

And he told them about his journey.

He's been everywhere. America, Asia, Africa. He and his friends have tracked the legends and followed the ancient roads, to eventually reveal the Cities of Gold to the world. They've walked, sailed and flown on long-lost trails, following the will of the Emperor of Mu, guided by their medallions. Mountains, jungles, deserts, oceans; they've been everywhere. Temples, caves, labyrinths, fortresses; they've seen everything. Giants, soldiers, pirates, alchemists; they've fought anyone who tried to stop them. For two years, it's been a long and dangerous journey across the world, at the dawn of world conquest and exploration, with their only goal being the search for the truth. The truth about their origins, about the world, about these mysterious necklaces, about themselves.

_“Unfortunately, we had to put an end to it. I wouldn't have minded continuing, but with one of the Chosen Ones dead, it wouldn't work at all. There's so much we'll never know, but also so much we've learned, so I suppose it wasn't all in vain.”_

The kids have been listening with open hearts, fascinated by this amazing story they've been told. Even the burning sun didn't bother them anymore, for they've been so absorbed in Esteban's words that they couldn't care less.

“And...that means the people of Mu are gone, now?”

_“Their civilization subsists through others. Their technology can be found. And they have descendants all over the world, like Tao and Zia. Like you two.”_

Tina couldn't believe it. She, a descendant of the people of Mu? The people that built this Condor, these legendary Cities, all these myths from all over the world? The very thought made her giddy to her core.

“It's no surprise.”, Leon huffed. “I always knew I was special. And now, look at this! I'm a _bearer of the Medallion of the Sun_ , descended from the legendary people of Mu. Tell you what, that explains a lot.”

“He's not always like that, don't worry.”, Tina reassured Esteban. “He thinks he's a tiger or something.”

“A lion prince. And you think you're a historian, so don't come at me like that.”

_“There's nothing wrong with believing in yourself.”_

Esteban looked up. The sun was headed west, and light was already dimming. Tina looked at her phone, and gasped.

“Shit! We've missed the bus back! We won't be able to go back to Santa Fe in time!”

“Does that mean we're stranded??”

_“Hey, you're not stranded. Not with me around!”_

And he leaped up to land on the Condor's wing.

_“I can get you anywhere you need! We still have light, it won't take long.”_

Leon happily got up, and jiggled his medallion around until the beak opened again. Tina went to follow, but a doubt stopped her in her tracks.

“If we go back, there'll be people waiting for us. They'll take you away and maybe arrest us for trespassing.”

Leon stopped in turn.

“Right...we're kind of wanted criminals, now. I mean, we _did_ steal the bird.”

_“The Condor can't be stolen! It doesn't belong to anyone.”_

“Well, maybe, but in the eyes of the law, it's finders keepers. Even if we bring you back, we'll be in big trouble.”

Leon's eyes darted from one of them to the other.

“So...what? We're fugitives? Number one public enemies?”

Tina looked up at Esteban, who didn't seem very happy with this prospect.

 _“I didn't think it'd be this bad...”_ , he mumbled. _“I never wanted to get anyone in trouble!”_

“Are you sure that we can't give him back?”

She thought for a moment. Give back the Golden Condor? Even with the best intentions in the world, it wouldn't be as easy as pie. They'd be asked how they made it fly, how it worked. The Condor would be taken apart and analyzed, and Esteban likely wouldn't survive his vessel being dismantled. The poor thing was already completely broken, like someone had hacked away at it with a laser beam or something. There was dirt and sand everywhere, safety straps and pieces of scaffolding still holding onto the wings. For some reason, the idea of giving the Condor back didn't sit right at all.

Not one second.

"...Esteban.”, she said after a time. “You said that you and your friends traveled the world with the Condor. Was it...easy?”

He tilted his head, coming back down to her level.

_“What do you mean?”_

“You know. Always on the road, never resting. Chasing dreams you may never see.”

He rubbed at his arm, looking away.

_“It was...alright, I guess. It wasn't always easy, no.”_

He looked back at her.

_“But it definitely changed me. It shaped me, made me who I am. I guess that...with time, I accepted I'd never be in only one place.”_

He shrugged.

_“My ancestors were travelers. Wanderers. We lived and died anywhere. I was buried in India, but it could have been any other place, really.”_

A doubt suddenly struck her.

"...does it happen to be the Patiala Temple, in Pendjab?”

_“Wh– you know the Memory Temple? It still exists?”_

Oh boy. _Ooooooh boy._ The very idea of breaking the news to him made her feel a bit queasy, honestly. Taking her phone, searching her photo gallery, she showed him the one she took of the Traveling Child's remains.

_“That's a strange mirror you hav– hey, wait a minute!”_

He opened wide eyes. Tina nodded, answering his silent question.

“I think this one's yours.”

_“What the…? But that's– ! That's my bones!! Those jewels, they were burial gifts! They stole that from my grave!!”_

“Welcome to the modern world.”

He was fuming with rage, so much so that his hologram started to radiate intense heat. Tina stepped back nervously, as his light became brighter and his body more fluid, like he was turning into a living flame. The dry grass under his feet caught fire, and Leon hurriedly stepped on it to put it off.

“Hey, it's alright!”, he tried to intervene. “Museums do that all the time, you know!”

_“They're stealing from the dead, and putting it for everyone to see! That's a sacrilege!”_

“Why are you so upset? I thought you didn't care?”

He huffed a hot flame.

_“Last time someone stole a medallion from a grave, it only led to catastrophe. And now, this one is left for all to see and take! What if it falls in bad hands!?”_

He crossed his arms, turning away. Rubbing nervously at his shoulder.

_“And those are my bones. My body, and they're exposing it! They didn't even take it all, they just– they split it between them like I was a bag of money! Have they got no shame!?”_

“Well, we can't really do anything about it, now, can we?”

At that, Esteban paused. The fire receded.

_“...can we, now?”_

He looked between the kids. Tina felt the upcoming blow of a very, _very_ bad idea looming over her head, as Esteban started to smile.

_“You said you didn't know what to do now that you were fugitives, right?”_

“I don't like where this is going.”

_“Well, you've got in front of you the expert of fugitive life. And I'd be happy to help you get out of your trouble...if you help me first.”_

“We're _not_ breaking into a museum for you!”

Again, he paused, and thought on his words. A hint of shame crossed his face.

_“...yeah, I suppose that's asking a bit much. I don't know what I was going for...it was anger speaking. I’m sorry.”_

He looked down, and sighed.

_“It's just...everything I know is gone. I don't know when or where I am, and it's all going so fast. Maybe I'm being paranoid...but knowing my medallion's out there, for anyone to take and misuse, doesn't help me at all.”_

His light was getting all dim now, and for a moment, Tina felt really bad about it.

She didn't know what Esteban felt like, but it wasn't that hard to picture. If she too woke up after centuries and discovered her remains had been pillaged and exposed to the world without a care, she guessed she'd be pretty angry too. This was a whole new century, all his friends were dead, and the Golden Condor didn't look any better.

She sighed. Guess there was no turning back now…

“If we help you, do you think you can help me understand the secrets of Mu?”

He looked up slowly.

_“You'd do that? For me?”_

“Well...if you were that close to our great-something-grandparents, then you can be close to us. Family's family.”

“And ohana means we don't leave anyone behind.”

She wondered if her father would miss her, if she were to disappear. Or if la Cojona would somehow convince him that this wasn't a great loss. Sometimes, it felt like it'd be the case; especially now that she had a criminal record on her head.

_“I'll help you all I can. Count on me.”_

He smiled, a warm smile that somehow helped her own.

“Alright, then. We'll get it back. Well...at least, we'll try. And try not to get arrested.”

_“Oh, you won't be alone! I wouldn't send you to trouble.”_

“What? You'll be coming with us?”

He thought for a moment, looking at the falling sun.

_“I won't. But I know someone who'd be great for the job.”_

Tina and Leon exchanged a glance. But then, they just shrugged it off.

“So. What are we waiting for?”


	6. Escape

The sun finished going down, and the streetlights were bathing the view in their artificial orange light. Sat on the Condor's foot, Tina watched it all take place, anxiety growing in her gut. She glanced at her phone once again, and once again a black screen silently pleaded for battery. She put it in her pocket with a sigh, as a bell in the distance rang seven times. 

The museum was closed by now, and while the streets were still booming with evening activities, everything was starting to fall asleep. From the rooftop where they've landed, they could see streets ahead of them, and it made for quite a stunning view in all honesty. But sadly, they weren't here for sights. 

Slowly, she stood up despite the dread that nagged at her. She couldn't believe she was about to do this! But it'd take her help for Esteban to help them in return, and this was the only way. They were already criminals, after all, so what would a break-in change to it?

She looked up. The Golden Condor was almost invisible, cloaked in a thin veil of light that reflected the color of the sky. She wasn't sure how it exactly worked, save for what Esteban told her; this was apparently a new mechanism that he found out recently, and that would help with hiding the plane when landing in the middle of town. At least it would keep it away from curious eyes, for cameras were quick to be whipped out at anything strange, these times.

“Think you'll be able to do it?”, Leon asked in a quiet voice.

Tina shrugged.

“Someone's got to. If we're criminals, we've got to play the part.”

“You realize that literally _nothing_ makes us criminals? That's just you being paranoid.”

“Couple of brown kids steal a precious treasure and ride it away like hooligans? We're criminals alright.”

“And now you're being nonsensical.”

She sighed, ignoring him.

“We can still go back.”, he insisted. “We don't...we don't have to go all the way, I mean.”

“Maybe you'll miss your life.”, she snapped. “But I won't. I know I'm not risking a bitch's wrath.”

“It's not about wrath anymore. If we follow Esteban, what will happen of us? We can't just leave everything we know and become vagabonds! I mean, he maybe did it, but that was the 16th century, when people didn't have due homework!”

She couldn't help but scoff.

“Since when do you care? I thought you've always wanted to leave your old life and go on an adventure?”

“Yeah, but...”

He looked away, wringing his hands together. 

“That's so...sudden. I mean, I didn't even pack a bag or anything!”

Neither had she, and it hurt to know. Should they leave now for wherever Esteban wanted them to go, they'd be unprepared. All she had was an empty backpack, a phone out of battery and nowhere near enough cash for a ride home. It seemed like adventure wouldn't be as easy and spontaneous as she thought, in these troubled times. 

“I know what you feel. But this is just a rocky start. I'm sure it'll get better!”

She put a hand on his shoulder, trying to reassure him.

“Sometimes, life is that way. Unpredictable, but that's what makes its charm. Who needs packed bags, when your destiny as lion prince awaits?”

She didn't like using Leon's 'things' to bait him to do anything. But desperate times called for jerkish measures; he seemed aware of it, but chose not to say it.

"...I guess so.”

“That's the spirit.”

She ruffled his head, and turned towards the street. It was awfully silent around here, and though her heart had calmed down a little, she could still feel unease tingling inside her guts. The moon had started to shine, a waxing crescent that shed some pale light around the otherwise orange city. A light way weaker than that of the sun, but still enough to let the magic happen.

It was subtle at first, but eventually, the Condor started to react. Through its cloaking illusion, faint slivers of moonlight started to course over its body, like the ripples of a pebble thrown in a placid pond. They crossed over and met, and bundled down into a stream of silver light that gracefully dripped down the Condor's beak, falling into a small puddle of white light. It rose into elegant spirals of fog, that shaped themselves the way Esteban's hologram first did, until they were about the size of an adult human. The light gathered itself and moved, giving way to hands, flaps, a face. And in a matter of seconds, there was now someone standing in front of the kids: a woman dressed like the moon, with traits just as sharp.

She stretched her arms, looking around her for a moment. She had a somewhat stern expression, so much that Tina got afraid; but they then crossed glances, and her face softened into a smile that reassured the young girl.

_“You must be Tina.”_

She blinked, not expecting such a gentle tone, and nodded hesitantly. 

_“And you must be Leon. What a pleasure it is to meet you two, new pilots. Esteban told me about you.”_

“So...you're his mother, right?”

_“Indeed. My name is Killa, and I will help you tonight.”_

Leon let his amazement be shown, looking at her and at the way her hair and dress floated gently in an unseen breeze.

“You're so different from him! Are you, like...a white lady?”

 _“Not...exactly?”_ , she replied, confused. _“But I suppose it is natural that we look different. I get my energy from moonlight, while Esteban can only wake under the sun.”_

“But moonlight _is_ sunlight.”, Tina noted.

_“Indeed. The Condor needs sunlight to work, and so does Esteban. But I suppose the circumstances of my awakening made it so I could watch over the night.”_

“Uh...what?”

“That means they're a day-and-night thing.”

Killa made the face of someone who wanted to correct a false idea, but realized it wasn't entirely untrue, and decided it best to say nothing.

_“Anyway. You know where his medallion is?”_

“Yeah. It's in there.”

She tapped the roof they were standing on with her foot.

“We'd need to break in, watch for security, yoink the medallion and get out. I think I remember in what room it is, but we'll need to be fast.”

“And watch for cameras. If they see you, they'll arrest you.”

Tina took off her shoes, and set to tie her socks around her face in a makeshift mask. While not very efficient, it'd at least hide part of her face.

_“Guards, seeing eyes. What else do we need to watch out for?”_

“I don't think there'd be lasers...ah, watch for motion detectors! If they see something moving, they'll trigger an alarm.”

“A lot of that is movie stuff. They wouldn't put lasers and motion detectors everywhere if there are nightguards patrolling! That's like, the ultimate counter-productivity.”

_“Either way, we'll need to be careful.”_

She looked around, as Tina put down her backpack and took some deep breaths. 

“It'll be okay.”, Leon reassured. “You go in with Killa, I stay here and get the Condor ready to fly us out.”

“It can't fly at night, though?”

_“It can if Esteban and I give it a little push. But we can't go very far, so let's use it as a last resort.”_

Alright. It was time, then.

First, to make their way in. The doors would be locked, and windows wouldn't likely open easily either. Tina carefully trailed along the edge of the rooftop, trying to spot an open window or anything that'd facilitate her entry.

“I can't believe we're doing this…!”

_“We are.”_

There, there was one. It was a ridiculously small gap, but perhaps with some effort, she could make it work. Holding onto the wall, she started climbing down to the floor below; luckily, they were facing a backstreet, with no traffic at this hour. All she risked was falling off two stories, and breaking her neck on the sidewalk; but she tried not to think of it. 

She set a foot on the apparent bricks, going slowly as to not lose her footing. The window wasn't very far, but one wrong slip and she'd definitely fall. Killa stayed near, guiding her to their goal; easy for her, when she could float around like a ghost!

 _“You're doing great.”_ , she encouraged. _“Don't be afraid. Wedge your feet between the bricks, and hold on with your whole hands.”_

“You seem awfully familiar with breaking into places.”, Tina joked to calm her anxious heart.

_“Rather, it was breaking out of them.”_

One foot after the other, slowly. Just reach the ledge below, and from there she'd be able to get in. She almost slipped at the last minute, but caught onto the stones and stuck herself to the wall, fear rushing through her in a shudder. That was definitely a high-risk job! Only now did it dawn on her how unprepared they were for this. 

_“You did it! Walk my way, carefully. I'll see if I can push that window open.”_

Slowly, little by little, she managed to make her way in. It was a tight fit, and she thought she'd end up stuck there, but with some squirming she managed to get in. The hardest part was done!

“Alright.”, she breathed, her voice trembling. “We have to get to the other side, to where they keep the sacrifice displays.”

She crouched down, looking around for cameras. Her hand met water on the floor; it had recently been mopped. They've entered right around cleaning time, it seemed; there wouldn't be motion detectors yet, then. But that only made it riskier, for she'd definitely leave footprints.

“Let's stay close to the wall.”

Killa nodded, and headed forward to scout. The water dried under her feet as she moved, providing Tina dry spots to step in without she'd leave shoe prints. The sound of squeaky wheels made her freeze in her tracks; followed by splatters; there was a cleaning cart in the room on her right. Guess they'd have to go left. She was about to move, when she noticed it: a black eye in the corner. 

“There's cameras.”, she whispered. “We can't go there.”

_“Wait.”_

Killa rubbed her hands together, until they started to shine brighter. She made her way to the ceiling corner in a matter of milliseconds, and slapped the device right in the eye: it made no noise, but the lens was now covered in the bright silvery stuff. She nodded Tina's way, and the girl kept going forward. 

“What did you do?”, she asked silently.

_“I used some of my light to blind it.”_

She showed her left hand: the tip of her fingers was missing. Tina shuddered, for even though she was a hologram, this still felt freaky to see. 

They kept going. It was very weird to think she was _actually_ in the process of robbing a museum. Never in her life would she have thought it'd be this way around! She'd always thought she'd be more of Indiana Jones than Carmen Sandiego, but life definitely had its surprises. Luckily, this was but a small-scale museum in an otherwise under-funded community, and security wasn't as top-notch as Hollywood made it look like. No crazy laser curtains or infrared sensors, but that didn't make it easy either. Tina wasn't a professional thief and never had the intention to be, and since the medallion likely had some good monetary value, she wouldn't be let go of with a slap on the wrist. Even though she kept itself that it would be fine to rob graverobbers, it still hurt her moral compass to have to do this.

But there was no denying it: she'd be in big trouble either way.

“I think that's the room. Right ahead.”

Killa nodded, and snuck in to blind yet another camera. She'd used her light up to her elbow, and despite her reassurances that she'd be fine, it still felt so strange to see. 

Once the coast was clear, Tina stood up, looking around the displays. In the weak moonlight coming from her ally, she could make out the creepy skulls and bones behind their glass displays, glaring at her with empty eyes and death smiles. The jewels glimmered like tiny stars all around them, which somehow added to the creepy experience. 

“Let's get it and then, out of here. I don't want to see these any longer.”

Killa, who's been transfixed on one of the skulls for a moment, seemed to snap back to reality. 

_“Right.”_

Tina looked around. Which one of them was the Traveling Child? Using Killa's light to guide her way, she silently walked between the displays, squinting to read the plaques until she got the one.

“This one!”

Killa walked closer, and her light revealed Esteban's remains. It was even creepier to see, now that she knew whom they belonged to. It was so weird to imagine that all these skulls, these open hearts, have once been _people_. This arm, these ribs belonged to a child she's talked to a few hours before now; they've been taken from a grave where he's been buried, ripped from the people that have honored him. Those beautiful bracelets were gifts to a deceased child, and they've been snatched out of his corpse. It made her sick to her core, and she had to look away before her stomach turned. 

_“It's not a pleasant sight.”_ , Killa said. _“But death is part of life. We have to make with it...even when we'd rather not.”_

“I'm fine. I just...need a moment.”

Killa nodded, and turned her attention to the glass display case. Being made of light, she could easily pass through without a problem; when her fingers touched to the medallion, it lit up slightly, its engravings coursing with slivers of sunlight. 

_“Yes, it's me.”_ , she said, as if talking to the jewel. _“You recognized me.”_

Tina looked at her, raising a brow. Was this pendant...sentient? Or was Killa simply being emotional? They'd have to find out later; for the mopping sounds were coming closer. They didn't have much time left.

“Let's hurry.”, she pressed. “Can you get it out of here?”

_“I can't hold it.”_

She thought for a moment.

_“I could try melting the glass so you can reach in. But that would take too long.”_

“And burn my hands.”

Tina looked around the case, trying to find a lock, a hinge or anything. She did find one, but it was of course locked tight. And in all the time since they tried entering the hangar where they kept the Condor, she hadn't even looked up how to pick locks with hairpins.

The cleaning cart was coming closer. This place provided little to no hiding spots, and then again Tina wasn't confident in her ability to pull this off. Mentally, she retraced the path they took to come here; would the window be locked? 

_“There must be a key somewhere. We could steal it from the warden.”_

“We've got no time.”

They were slowly getting backed into a corner. Whatever she'd do, she'd likely get caught. To hell with it, then!

“Killa. Do you think you can quickly heat the glass? There's no choice but to break it.”

_“I can try, but wouldn't that attract attention?”_

“If we run away fast enough, we should make it.”

Killa looked at her with concern. This plan had all its chances to go wrong, but at this point, they were out of options. So she put her hand on the glass pane, and focused her light there.

Quickly, it started to get hot in here. Killa's body gradually became dimmer, as all of her energy focused on her hand, to the point that the glass showed visible reddening marks. Tina knew they were entering illegal territory now, and that whatever would happen couldn't be undone. If before, they still had chances to run away, now would be the point of no return.

The darkness was suddenly broken when the lights turned back on, and the silence followed when a voice called out.

“Hey! What are you doing here!?”

_“Quick, now!”_

Fight or flight kicked in again, and adrenaline took over. In a rush of panic, Tina's body escaped her control, and her fist stupidly met the heated glass. The sheer force of fright gave her enough strength to shatter it, a good chunk of it falling out right before a loud and high-pitched alarm rang. Immediately, footsteps started running her way, and anxiety turned to absolute dread.

 _“Grab the medallion!”_ , Killa called out. _“I'll slow them down!”_

This wasn't the first time for her. Quickly recovering her brightness, she rushed towards the security agent and stuck her hand to their face, causing them to recoil in pain. Tina had stopped moving, paralyzed by fear and a burning pain that now took a hold of her fist. She was unable to even twitch, caught like a thief in the headlights, and the loud ringing of the alarm didn't help at all. Her vision became blurry with fright, and it felt as if she was about to cry, but she knew she couldn't. There was no time to waste at all, so why couldn't she move!?

_“Tina! Get a hold of yourself, quick!”_

“Get back here!”

A hand suddenly grabbed her arm, and she screamed. She kicked in a random direction, trying to get them to let go, but Killa was faster. Like a raptor bird, she stuck her talons in their face, and Tina could almost hear the flesh burning under her touch. The emergency of the situation came to her at last, and she shoved her hand through the broken glass to reach and grab the medallion. Her sleeve got caught in shards that tore through the fabric, and when she drew it back, she felt sharp pain all over her forearm. Before she knew it, she was bleeding all over.

_“Let's go! Follow me, quick!”_

She didn't have to say it twice. Another pair of hands tried to grab her, but panic made her faster and she managed to get herself out of their grasp. She heard one of them shout instructions into a radio, and that's when she knew she was utterly fucked. 

Killa ran in front of her, her light shining like a beacon to guide her. Tina was definitely crying now, whether it be pain or fear, and her fists were clenched so hard they hurt. Was that the sound of police sirens she could hear outside? Was that the sound of her doom and arrest, looming over her?

She didn't even know how she ended up outside; she felt like she could pass out at any moment. Leon was there, rushing to her and helping her get into the Condor; Killa had disappeared, along with the bird's cloaking. There was no time to waste here!

“Let's bolt it out!”, Leon exclaimed, getting on the pilot's seat when they got in. “Come on, birdie, do your thing!”

He pressed around the dashboard at random, trying to make it light up. The screen eventually gleamed a faint blue, and the snake gear shift slithered out of its hatch.

 _“We don't have enough power for a full flight.”_ , Killa's voice warned. _“I can give you a boost, but then you'll need to land us to a safe landing place.”_

The Condor started to vibrate and hum, as the engines came back to life. Outside, sirens were coming closer, now surrounding the museum. Tina was curled up on herself, unable to move or speak, trembling with fear. Leon grabbed the commands, and once the Condor was charged enough, pushed forwards to take off.

The Condor sprung on its legs like a frog and thrust its engines, giving them a neat speed boost as they escaped over the heads of flabbergasted security staff. The wings spread out and caught onto the air as Leon guided it east, away from town. But the thrill of flight was short-lived; already, the Condor was losing power, unable to keep on at night. The commands all but shut down like a phone out of battery, and the bird started going down.

“This is gonna be hard, and I just realized we don't even have seatbelts!”

He tried to keep it going, to maintain horizontal flight, but the speed of their fall was only going up. Holding onto the snake, he braced himself for impact, and the Condor fell headfirst into the side of a hill. Trees whipped at it as it shook and trembled with the force of the impact, and the kids got sent back into their seats so hard that it hurt. But eventually, all that energy was let out, and once gravity had done its job, the Condor stopped moving.

The screen weakly lit up again, and Killa's voice came back.

 _“Are you two alright?”_ , she asked with a tone full of worry. _“Are you hurt?”_

“My neck feels weird...Tina, you alright?”

She was still curled up, but was trying to sit up. She was in so much pain that she couldn't even start to localize it; so she simply spoke weakly, trying to calm her trembling.

The Condor's windshield opened, and Leon climbed out to scout. They've landed in a nearby forest, and some trees had fallen; but it wouldn't be impossible to take off again. Maybe. He wasn't sure.

“Oh man!”, he breathed, sitting on the bird's back. “That sure was something, right?! And I led us here without a hitch!”

Tina managed to sit somewhat alright, looking at her bloody sleeve. She had glass cuts all over her forearm, but they'd heal quickly. And more importantly: she had Esteban's medallion. 

And a pretty impressive bounty on her head, now. 

_“You did it.”_ , Killa cheered, reforming next to her. _“I never doubted it. That was great!”_

“Great...”, Tina panted. “Now we can't show our faces in public ever again.”

She untied her makeshift mask with trembling hands. 

“We're fugitives. Criminals! We'll be killed on sight!”

“It was just a robbery.”, Leon scoffed. “They wouldn't reinstate death penalty just for a necklace, I mean!”

She didn't even have the strength to argue. She just fell back on her seat, her breathing erratic and her heart beating away. In all honesty, she felt right about to pass out.

“And hey! We got away, still! First time doing a big crime, and we got away with it! That was some crazy James Bond shit you did there!”

_“I have to admit that it was quite impressive.”_

Impressive? In her tired state, she didn't know whether to agree or not. The fact that she was still alive, that she got away with it, was enough reward for the rest of her days.

“So...what now?”, Leon asked, looking around. “We're just hiding?”

_“We have to wait until morning to take off again. You two should get some sleep.”_

“Sleep? After that? Ha, no way! I definitely can't sleep when I’m this much excited. I'm so excited, I could...roar!”

“Don't.”, Tina huffed. “Please.”

Leon came back down into the cockpit.

“I wasn't gonna.”, he shrugged. 

Killa chuckled at this sight, and closed the windshield. It already made the cockpit a little warmer.

_“Either way, you two should stay here for the time being. I will keep watch outside. We leave at dawn.”_

And she passed through the glass to do so. Tina didn't say anything, and simply laid back on her seat, looking at the medallion in her palm. 

Reprehensible acts or not...that _was_ pretty impressive. Guess that for the sake of her goal, she could put a bit of morality aside to recognize that.


	7. Clutter

Tina barely managed to sleep that night. The idea that someone could search the woods, find them and arrest them weighed too heavily on her soul. She's committed a crime, and would have to answer for it at any time; paranoia kept her in a half-awake state of panic, every creaking in the woods was a SWAT team ready to get her, every noise was them entering the Condor and drawing her out of the littlest bit of peace she managed to get. It felt like torture, trying to lay down on this seat in the dark in a semblance of comfortable position, to calm herself despite the fear and anxiety that wouldn't let go. She feared that if she let herself drift into bed, she'd be plagued by nightmares that'd make it even worse, and she definitely didn't want to risk it. So she laid there all night, unable to think rationally, waiting for the sun to rise.

Dawn eventually came, of course. It always did. A few minutes before the sun peeked out of the horizon, the Condor seemed to react. Tina watched from her seat, half-awake already, as it somehow twitched and blinked despite not having any muscles or eyes. Eight long years of school life had taught her that even without an alarm clock, her body knew when to wake up sometimes by the minute, trained as it was; did the Condor have something similar? Did it keep track of the sun's rises and falls, through some mechanical biological clock? She didn't really know, and didn't want to know. She was too tired for that.

The first rays of sun gleamed on the Condor's body, warming up its wings and head as they filtered through broken branches. They refracted through and made it too bright to keep her eyes closed, so she decided against fighting it and sat up tiredly. Little by little, the commands lit up again, and the dashboard screen came back to life, showing some gibberish lines that looked like a bootup screen.

Leon was asleep on one of the benches in the back, head hidden in his arms. Well, at least someone could get some rest tonight. Tina stood up weakly, checking on her arm to make sure it wasn't bleeding anymore. A pain in her stomach reminded her that she was hungry, and a quick look around their surroundings told her it'd have to wait. They were still in the middle of some patch of woodland, with no convenience store in sight. Searching her pockets, she pulled out the rest of the cash that tia Celia had given her for their trip; most of it has gone into their bus fare to Albuquerque, but the rest would be enough for them to survive a couple days. Make it a week if she only ate once a day. 

Ugh, this wasn't the kind of life she hoped to have out of middle school, but she couldn't say she's never expected it. Hadn't every kid and their mother imagined themselves running away from home and living in the woods at some point? Her parents have never been rich, her dad spent a lot of the welfare checks on cigarettes and cheap nothings, and la Cojona cashed in the rest to pimp her shitty car. Wouldn't be the first time Tina would have to move through her day with an empty stomach, or try to make her meager savings last as long as possible. Now to hope Leon and his easier lifestyle wouldn't be a problem about it.

_“You seem thoughtful.”_

She froze in her thoughts, glaring around; but calmed down once she realized it was Esteban's voice. The Condor had finished turning on, and was now recharging its solar panels.

“...yeah.”, she admitted. “Just thinking on...where to go now.”

Slowly, Esteban's body reformed in front of her, sitting on the commands like a butt-dial catastrophe waiting to happen. He looked a little tired, which made her wonder if light holograms still had biological needs. Only thinking on it made her hungrier.

“You have a plan, right? You didn't ask me to steal your medallion just so you could ditch us?”

 _“I'd never!”_ , he retorted with such strength that the screen shone brighter. _“I gave my word, and I'll hold it. I wouldn't abandon you, you know. But all things in due time; do you have it?”_

Tina retrieved the medallion from her pocket, and held it to him. His fingers touched to it, and the same reaction as with Killa occurred: the jewel started to shine, its patterns refracting over and over the gold surface in a matter of milliseconds, like a myriad of golden hues. This time, Tina knew they weren't only acquaintances, but a deep, tight bond. This medallion was _his'_ , and it recognized him like a dog recognized its master after a long absence, tail wagging and patterns shining. Esteban smiled, and everything around the Condor became all warm for a second, like the whole bird was smiling in turn.

Know what? If only for that, the whole burglary was worth it. It was such an endearing sight to see, and who was she to deny him the right to be happy?

_“It's been so long...I have to see what it says! Quick, put it here, please.”_

He showed her a little notch in the sun emblem, big enough for a coin. She tried to fit the jewel in there, but it was too big; then, remembering Leon's annoying fiddling, she slipped the center disk out of its moon socket, and stuck it in. 

The screen started changing again, like she just put a disk in a computer. Esteban sat down, and seemed to react to it, his face changing as if he was assessing the taste of some candy he just chewed on. Tina sat back down, and watched the screen load up line after line of this unknown alphabet, for what seemed like an endless time. Guess that the Condor ran on Windows Vista, maybe. While this unknown operation was taking place, she decided to do something of her time and write down what she saw on the screen. If this bird had really been built by the people of Mu, then it'd make sense it used their language. And should she learn to read it, it'd be the key to many new findings: she recognized some of these symbols popping up in ancient texts or pieces of writing, that eluded historians to this day. 

Behind her, Leon started to wake up, yawning loudly. He scratched his head, stretched a bit, and went to open up the Condor's beak, pressing buttons at random until he found the right one.

“Sup.”, he greeted. “Slept well?”

“Wish I could have.”, she grunted. “Couldn't close my eyes more than five minutes.”

The smell of dirt and sand didn't help either. This plane was absolutely not fit to be slept in, as proven by the large dust spots on Leon's clothes.

“I'm sure it'll be fine. It's got to be. We'll just...lay low for a time, and then it'll be good.”

“I don't know where you got that optimism from, but now's not the time.”

 _“Optimism is a very good thing to have.”_ , said Esteban, leaving his trance. _“Don't worry, you're not alone in this.”_

Tina just stayed silent, as Leon headed outside to get some fresh air. It was still a cold morning, but at least they were away from people here. 

_“I finished reading the data, and it's quite interesting. I didn't know so much history has been recorded in such a tiny jewel! I'd definitely have to look in deeper detail later.”_

“Glad you got it back.”

She looked at the moon still in her hand.

“Where do I put this one?”

Esteban thought for a moment. 

_“I can't wear it. My neck kind of broke when I died.”_

“Do you _have_ to be so blunt about that? It's weird...”

 _“I suppose my social filter broke along with it.”_ , he shrugged.

But then, he resumed being serious.

_“I think that...it's best you have it.”_

“...me? Why's that?”

_“It makes sense, that's all. Leon already has Zia's medallion, but you're just as worthy of it. And you helped me get it back, so you've earned it, in a sense.”_

She looked at the little golden moon, ran her thumb over the shallow engravings. She couldn't claim she's never been envious, sure...but technically, this wasn't the same thing. This one hasn't been in her family for generations, and it belonged to a dead child. The very thought made her uncomfortable to say the least.

Esteban gently put his hand over hers. His fingers were all warm, so much it made her shudder for a moment. She looked at him, and he smiled just as warmly, so much that it felt like rain could never fall again as long as he did.

_“I know that we're not related, you and I. But Zia, Tao and I were very close. We were a family of our own. I know that...you don't really know me, and it must feel weird for you...”_

“Pretty much.”

_“But you've helped me. You trusted me, and put your life in danger for me. If that doesn't make you worthy of my medallion, I don't know what will.”_

Slowly, in a way that she could almost _touch him_ , he closed her fingers over the little moon.

_“I've promised you answers, and this is the first of them. If the secrets of Mu are to come back to the world, it wouldn't make sense to hide away their key in my grave.”_

She thought for a moment, still indecisive. But it seemed Esteban had already made his mind. So slowly, she undid the magnetic clasp, and put the string around her neck. The moon nestled itself over her shirt, and she watched it as if she were afraid something would happen; but nothing else took place. If this jewel was sentient, then it had accepted this decision.

“...alright.”, she said. 

He smiled, and disappeared back into the bird. Tina stood up, leaving her sketching for later, and decided to follow Leon outside. Carefully, she made her way down the ladder, and looked around their surroundings.

Now that she could examine the Condor more clearly, it was obvious it had taken some damage. Its stomach was cut away, revealing the complicated machinery it held in there; even at rest, pistons and cogs were busy keeping it alive, like a beating heart that couldn't rest. There was a dark patch on its wing that she felt wasn't dirt; same with its tail reactors. It was very obviously an old machine, and how it kept working amazed her. 

“The Empire of Mu must have really good customer reviews.”, she commented. “It's beaten as all heck, and still it flies!”

 _“The Condor's been through a lot.”_ , Esteban's voice spoke from somewhere. _“But if we are to go on a journey, we need to make sure it can keep going.”_

“Doubt you know a Condor mechanic?”

She picked up a fallen pine branch, and used it as a broom to sweep away some of the dirt. Pebbles and grains of sand started falling off the machinery, and the sheer amount of clutter in there flabbergasted her. Were those bones, stuck between these pistons?!

_“I don't even know what that is.”_

“You know, like...somewhere you take your vehicle for repairs?”

Only silence met her.

“You mean you flew this thing for years and never took it for a check-up? No wonder it's all beat down!”

_“In my defense, there weren't exactly a lot of places to get it repaired!”_

“Well, where did you get it?”

_“Inside an old temple, why? And before you say anything, it's destroyed now.”_

“So...someone just left it around, and you just took it.”

_“What were we supposed to do? Let the volcano erupt under us?”_

“...right.”

She resumed cleaning, more dirt falling on her. Ugh, she'd never get it off.

“Well, someone ought to have built it. Even if it's old, there must be instructions, repair manuals, anything!”

_“Sadly, no. It was built in a factory.”_

Suddenly, the pistons roared.

_“That's it! The Condor factory! If we get it running again, we might be able to do these repairs!”_

“Glad you know!”, Tina shakily said, quickly getting out of the machinery before it buried her alive. “So, how do we get there?”

Quickly, the excitement seemed to die down. Why did she get a feeling it wouldn't be as simple as taking a car for a check-up?

_“...remind me, in what part of the world are we, again?”_

“Uh...New Mexico? United States of 'Murica, the country of freedom, technology and human rights violations, Sweet Home Alabama?”

_“I...have no idea what does any of this means.”_

“It's just me being salty. Right, so...you know where North America is? How do they call it, back then...uh, the New World? The West Indies? Do you know who Columbus is?”

 _“I know what America means.”_ , Esteban huffed, or at least it sounded like he did. _“And I know the Condor factory is definitely not around the corner. Does Tibet still exist today?”_

“Wh– fucking _China???_ You can barely fly, and now you want us to cross the friggin' ocean!?”

_“Why, I thought it would be commonplace by now. Do white condors not cross the world every day?”_

“The what-a-condors now?”

“He means planes.”, said Leon, reappearing from behind some trees. 

Indeed, by merely looking up, they could see the trails left by a plane heading north.

“Well...yeah, travel's easy now. But that doesn't mean _everyone_ can afford it. I've never left the States before.”

“I've been to California, once. It was hot.”

“That's still the States.”

“Still counts.”

_“I see. But either way, I don't see any other options. We've held on for this long, but our time in stasis has definitely left its mark. It might not look like it, but the Golden Condor can feel pain, and so do I.”_

A streak of light crossed over its body.

_“It hurts. Even before we fell asleep, it hurt to move. Ambrosius's sunblack beam has left wounds that can't heal. Some of my pieces are missing, and because of that, I can't reach my top speed anymore. My wings sometimes get stuck, and landing with precision is nearly impossible. It's like I don't know what I'm doing.”_

“Maybe that's why your friends left you.”

Tina turned to Leon, whose sudden phrase made her raise a brow.

_“...what do you mean?”_

“I don't mean bad. It's just...when you speak of how you flew the Condor, it felt like the best thing in the world. And then you got all broken, and it became a mess. Maybe they just...stopped flying you, because they knew it was becoming hard? If you can't move right, and you lost a ton of cool options, well...it's not the same.”

All machines got to meet their end someday. In the span of a single year, peak tools could become obsolete to the point of being nothing but clutter. Even back in the 16th century, things got broken, worn down, damaged. Esteban may be some sort of immortal, but his earthly vessel couldn't say the same.

His voice stayed silent for a moment, and Tina knew he was hurting. Not knowing why, she put a hand on his husk, gently stroking it. 

“You know they didn't leave you.”, she tried. “They just...didn't want to push you to your limits, that's all. You've been hurt a lot, and it'd have been cruel to keep you going. They stopped flying with you for your own good.”

The bird remained silent, and she feared it would be the wrong thing to say. So she kept trying.

“And…! And you know they haven't entirely left. We're here, right? In a way, it's like...they're still with you in some way. Like...the legacy of the Condor pilots goes on.”

Gently, the metal under her fingers got warmer.

_“...you'd do so?”_

“Well...it's not like we can go back, now. But we're not leaving you! If there's a way to help you, we'll do it. Even if it means flying to China.”

“As long as we don't have to stay there. I mean, I don't speak Chinese.”

It felt like a chuckle under her palm. Slowly, the warmth came back, and the mechanic humming resumed.

_“Alright. We can do this. But if we try to cross the ocean now, I fear for the worst.”_

“How so?”

_“I'm still out of shape. I haven't flown in ages, I need some time to reconnect with my body. And you don't know how to pilot yet, so you're not ready to undertake such a journey just yet.”_

“Thank Sekhmet.”, Leon sighed. “Cause this is all going too fast, and I still haven't mentally recovered from it. I mean, I need to accept I'm the Chosen One, can't do that in one day!”

“You're _not_ the Chosen One, dummy.”

_“You know, someone once told me that we all have a destiny out there in the world. Maybe yours will be found beyond these grains of sand.”_

“There, see? I'm the Chosen One.”

Tina rolled her eyes, and grabbed her branch to resume sweeping. 

“So...if we're not going now, when?”

_“Whenever you're ready, I suppose. Such a journey will require preparation.”_

“Can it include a trip to the grocery store? I'm starving. I haven't eaten since yesterday's sandwiches.”

_“Ah, but you must know that as Chosen Ones, you have to adhere to a strict lifestyle! From now on, you shall eat nothing but sunlight and the dust of the earth.”_

They froze in their tracks, eyes wide. And a few seconds later, Esteban's head poked out of the Condor's side.

 _“Kidding.”_ , he said with an evil grin. 

The biggest sigh of relief got breathed out that day.

“If you weren't already dead, I'd kill you.”, Leon threatened. 

_“And I would deserve it. Now come, let's find water. There must be a river somewhere.”_

“I wouldn't do that if I were you.”, Tina piped in. “If you drink from rivers, you'll catch all sorts of nasty diseases.”

_“What? Nonsense, I did that all my life and I turned out just fine! Besides, if you don't drink from rivers, where from, then?”_

The cousins exchanged a dubious glance. Oh boy, they'd have a lot to catch him up on.

“Eh, that's part of the journey.”, Leon shrugged, going to follow Esteban out. “I mean, what else are vaccines for?”

“If you get cholera, don't come at me crying!”

“Guess I'll have to do like Bear Grylls then!”

Tina rolled her eyes, and took off her jacket to go explore the clockwork deeper. Best to remove most of that junk before they went anywhere.

“That's where my life is at now.”, she commented. “Running from the cops in an ancient plane, drinking river water. The secrets of Mu better be worth it!”

From inside the machinery, Killa's sleepy voice chimed in.

_“Life is an adventure in itself. Believe me, to live it is worth all the trouble in the world.”_


	8. Treasure

The Condor was flying slowly, keeping a low enough altitude to follow the road westward. Hidden from view by the same light that powered it, it was trying to keep a straight enough line to fly without a hitch, despite its weakening wings and limited speed. From this height, it could have looked like a large eagle, and made about the same sound as one; the trail of wind it left in its course was just enough to make branches shiver, faint as it was. While it was hard to tell from this altitude, they were about as fast as the cars below them, from what Tina could observe; the dashboard screen gave her all she wanted to know about their actual speed, but only in a language she couldn't read and in units she didn't know. At least she wouldn't have to worry about it, focused as she was.

Her hands were clamped around the snake gear shift, thumbs awkwardly resting on the cobra's hood. She kept going ahead, giving it a slight nudge forward, yet unsure of whether she should tilt it further or not. Trying to keep a constant altitude was already hard enough, and the machine's weakness made it harder even to read. Luckily, Esteban was here to guide her.

_“Keep going.”_ , his voice said somewhere in the back of her head. _“Don't force it. You don't want to push the Condor, you have to nudge it in a direction and let it do the rest.”_

She nodded, and relaxed her grip on the commands. Following the road, she very carefully tilted it right, and felt the weight of the tail shift at the back. She nudged a little more to make it turn faster, and ended up having to turn it left again to correct her trajectory. Alright, so it'd keep turning a short while after she returned to the middle; got it. She'd have to take that into account.

_“You're doing great! Relax, have faith in it. Everything will be fine.”_

“It still amazes me, though. This bird is so big, and it's only got this thing to steer it around?”

_“It's very easy to pilot. Even Mendoza could have done it.”_

“I thought he was the super skilled guy?”, Leon piped in. “He could have piloted anything, right?”

_“Well, the first time I handed him the Condor's commands, it kind of ended up with him crashing down.”_

“Tsh. Wouldn't have happened with me! This looks easy as pie.”

“Don't say that. It's harder than it looks.”

She tried to regain some altitude, but only succeeded in going faster. She hit the brakes a bit hurriedly, causing the two of them to jump in their seats.

“Hey, easy! This thing doesn't have seatbelts!”

“Well, when we get to China, we'll have it equipped with seatbelts.”, she groaned. “Can it a little, it's already hard enough to focus.”

_“So you're saying that all carriages need to have belts on their seats? How does that do anything?”_

“Well, for one, it reduces mortal accidents. Since, you know, cars go pretty fast. If they crash into something, you'll fly out the broken window without seatbelts!”

_“Hmm...I do believe that'd have been useful. I can't recall how many times I have crashed the Condor when I was still learning!”_

“Don't speak of bad luck, please.”, Tina gritted between her teeth. “I really don't want to crash.”

_“Don't worry. If you do, it'll be a natural part of learning.”_

That still didn't sit right with her, so she tried to ignore it. She tugged on the snake again, and followed the road.

Sitting next to her, Leon pressed yet another button, and the windshield opened slowly, letting in a flow of warm air. He pressed it again, and it closed back.

“Practical.”

Taking his pencil, he wrote 'Windshield' next to the button, to Esteban's great dismay.

_“Could you...not do that?”_

“Look, you're already covered in dirt all over. A scribble here or there won't change anything.”

_“That's still my body you're drawing on.”_

“That's still our bodies you're carrying. If you want us to be pilots, you gotta let us learn what all these buttons do!”

“Be careful. One might be the self-destruct or something.”

“I'm sure no self-respecting vehicle would ever have a self-destruct button. Right, Esteban?”

Only silence answered him.

“... _right, Esteban?_ ”, Leon sweated nervously.

_“Look, how about you just don't touch anything until we land? It'll be safer for everyone involved.”_

He sighed, and sat back down, looking out the window.

“How long till we land, by the way?”

“I think I recognize this part. We just follow the road, we should be in the right direction. If we see the lake, just keep going.”

“Wish this bird had GPS. Esteban, do you have a built-in map or something?”

“ _Even if I had, it would be inaccurate. So much has changed with time._ ”

“Can't you access satellite databases to keep you updated? That's what GPS systems do.”

“ _I have no idea what half of these words mean. You do understand that I'm far too lost when it comes to the technology of this era? I wish I could help you, but I simply don't have the means to...database a satty-leet or whatever._ ”

“I feel your pain.”, Tina reassured. “I'm a Linux enthusiast.”

“ _...you know what, nevermind. From now on, I will pretend I understand those words you speak, and I will speak my own strange words without a care as to whether you get them or not._ ”

“And it all shall be fine in the best of all worlds.”

She pat the dashboard, and kept going straight. 

In all honestly, it felt thrilling to have so much control over this impressive beast through the tip of her fingers. The slightest nudge of the snake shaft was enough to guide the Condor in a whole new direction; with every tilt, every move, she could feel the weight of the plane shift and change under her seat, the wings move and react, the light move over its body as told by the indications on the screen. It was like being in control of a rollercoaster experience; were she any more daring, she'd try to dive like a hawk and roll like a barrel, but she knew the Condor wouldn't likely handle it well. And in all honesty, she didn't want to try her hand at it while she still didn't know how to rise properly. Guess that this utility flight would do well for her first lesson. 

“I think I see the lake.”, Leon noticed. “We're close!”

“Heighpeak isn't far. We should be there in fifteen minutes.”

Esteban seemed to wake up from his annoyance.

“ _What's your town's name, you said?_ ”

“Heighpeak, New Mexico. It's small, but it's got a middle school. Why you ask?”

“ _...nothing. I...misheard._ ”

She rose a brow, but thought best not to ask. 

Eventually, the first smaller streets started to come into view. This meant they were coming closer indeed. Tina glanced outside to make sure the Condor was still hidden from view, and only found some dust to tell her otherwise.

“We'll need to clean you up.”, she said. “Hard to stay invisible with all this sand over you.”

“Think he fits in a car wash?”

“ _Rain will do the job._ ”, he said with the voice of a kid who tried to get out of bathtime. “ _Wind already did most of it._ ”

“Still. The cabin is filthy, we can't sit without getting all dusty! I know you're an archeological find of great value, but that doesn't mean you have to look like you've just been dug up.”

“Let's hose him down!”

“ _You are **not** giving me a bath! That's humiliating!_”

“Bah, it's not like we have the means to, anyway. Just the amount of water it'd take to wash you up would make a waterpark cry.”

“But rain doesn't come easy around these parts. You'll be lucky if we get a drizzle.”

“ _I can take the sun just fine. I'll be good._ ”

“Well, you said we shouldn't take any chances, so we won't.”

She led the Condor over town, trying to navigate the streets from this whole new angle. She recognized enough landmarks to know where her street would be; now, to find a place to land would be a challenge. To actually land would be even worse.

“I think we can take that driveway. It's empty for now. Esteban, you said something about guiding the Condor?”

“ _I'll try to land safely. Just keep it still while I descend._ ”

She nodded, and tilted the snake back, trying to put the Condor in an upright position. The legs unfolded with a creaking sound, and several lights started to shine. Carefully, Tina held the snake still, very lightly tugging it her way to stabilize the beast; Leon sat on his seat and held onto it tight, fearing the outcome. But luckily, the Condor touched to the ground and landed without a hitch, if not for the mechanical clicking it made and the cloud of dust it raised from the ground. But once that calmed down, it remained standing still.

“Well...that wasn't so bad!”, Tina breathed in relief. “Definitely better than last time.”

She pressed a button, and the head descended slowly to let them out.

“ _I'll keep the engines warm. How much time do you need?_ ”

“If I hurry, I can be back in ten minutes.”

“Make it fifteen. I live further down the street.”

“ _Think you'll be seen?_ ”

“Let's hope not.”

Tina carefully climbed down the beak, watching around the street. There was no one in sight, despite it being a Saturday morning. But with no school today, she wouldn't risk running into classmates or parents; let's just hope no news of their recent break-in had made its way to their hometown yet.

“Alright. Let's keep close to the walls and be fast.”

“ _Good luck._ ”

She landed on the driveway, and quickly made a fast walk for it. Her house was just a street away, she could do it. Leon followed soon after; they exchanged a glance, a nod, and he headed the other way. 

Like a paranoid cat, she made her way through the street, keeping an ear out for any footsteps and an eye out for any cars. At any corner now, the sight of an ugly brown Chevrolet could betray the unwanted presence of trouble, and it'd definitely put a wrench in her plans. She hoped, she prayed that the other bitch would be busy somewhere, that no one was home; now of all times would be the one moment for luck to be on her side. She turned the corner, ready to face the consequences of her actions, heart beating away in her chest; and to her great relief, there was no car parked in front of her home. 

“Thank Sekhmet.”, she whispered to herself, copying Leon's phrase.

She opened the back door with her key, and carefully made her way through until she was home. The pair of slippers by the door told her that her father was out, and that this would be her chance.

She headed to her room, put her phone to charge, and grabbed her backpack to stuff some things into it. Luckily, she's had some plans to leave the house ever since la Cojona moved in, so she's always had a mental list of what to grab in case she needed to suddenly pack up and run away. She thought it'd be an unnecessary caution, that things would be bearable until she left for college; and yet, here she was, putting these plans into actions. She couldn't help but feel bad at the thought of leaving her home without even telling her dad; but it's not like she could explain easily that she was a criminal now. In all fairness, she didn't even know whether or not she was one, or if she made it all up. So while her phone charged, she turned it on to check the news, and kept packing while it booted up.

The sheer amount of notifications she got was astounding. Fourteen messages from tia Celia, twenty-nine from her dad, a couple from la Cojona that she deleted right away, and at least a dozen missed calls. Numbers that spoke trouble. She quickly looked up the news, and saw that indeed, the theft of the great golden bird made it to the front page; the museum break-in was only minor in comparison. Luckily, neither of them mentioned that children were responsible for it, much less so by name. Tina breathed a sigh of relief: they hadn't been identified. 

A noise caught her attention, one she was conditioned to fear: the screeching of tires pulling up in the driveway. She quickly crouched down and peeked through the window, to be met with the sight of a brown Chevrolet. This was bad! This was _really_ bad! She shoved her phone and charger into her bag, and only after she started making a run for it did she freeze in her tracks. 

She didn't know how long they'd be gone, and if she'd ever come back again. It was likely that she wouldn't come back to her dad for a long while, at least until things calmed down and he divorced his companion. To think this bitch would get to stay here in this house while Tina had to run for her life made her sick; but luckily, there could be a way to get back at her. In a thrust of evil genius, she headed for her dad's room and looked in the closet, rummaging through the bitch's skimpy clothes and other out-of-price things until she found what she wanted: a little squared box with flowers painted on it. She shook it a bit, and it made a rattling sound that brought a mischievous smile on her face. 

“I'll be needing this more than you.”

She shoved it in her bag, at the same time she heard the jingling of keys by the front door. Quickly zipping it up, she ran to the back, made her way out and bolted like a jaguar out of the windows' line of sight. 

Her heart was beating like crazy, her body trembling away with fright. Would she get away with it? So far, no one had spotted her, no one had called after her. If she had a stroke of luck going, then her only wish was that it'd keep going for another little while. Seriously, the amount of crazy things she did in the past two days were simply impressive! And especially, the amount of things she got away with! If they ever stop in Las Vegas, she'd most definitely risk it all on the table!

She had trouble locating the Condor, but its beak then opened to reveal the ladder, and she hurried in. Only once she was inside could she afford to calm down and fall on her seat, her temples pounding and her lungs burning. 

“ _Are you alright? Did you get what you needed?_ ”, Esteban worriedly asked.

“I think I'm fine.”, she breathed. “I was ready for this, don't worry. Where's Leon?”

“ _I see him next street over. Were you seen?_ ”

“No, I...I don't think so. I hope not.”

Some moments later, Leon joined her aboard the Condor, closing the beak. His delay quickly found its explanation, it seemed.

“Do you really need two bags?”, Tina huffed. “We're kind of on the run, right now!”

“Well maybe _you_ have prepared all your life for this. But I like my old life! I can't just easily part with everything I cherished.”

“ _It's alright! No need to fight. You can put your stuff under the benches, they open up._ ”

“Besides, this will be a long journey.”, Leon shrugged as he went to do so. “I bet you haven't even thought of packing lunch.”

And he tossed Tina a pack of chips. On the moment, she did feel grateful for it, for she hadn't thought of bringing food.

“I haven't.”, she admitted, digging in. “I'm more of a long-term planner.”

She looked at her phone. She's only managed to grab 11% of battery during her short charging pause, but that'd be enough for now. She put it in her pocket, as Esteban heated up the engines and took off on his own. 

“So, where's our next stop?”, Leon asked. 

“We need to get away from the state for a while. Somewhere the Condor won't be spotted. We could try going south, and leaving the country.”

“Oh shit, now we're doing the cocaine route? Should have brought my straws.”

“ _South it is. I'll get plenty of sunlight._ ”

Tina grabbed the snake in one hand, and turned the Condor around, letting it gather some speed before going. The sudden thrust pushed her back into her seat, but she could get used to it. Soon the bird reached its cruise speed and altitude, and she could relax a bit. 

“Mexico, huh.”, Leon commented. “Well, es bueno que hablemos español. I hope you've packed some pesos?”

“Not really. But I've got something that'd help.”

She searched her backpack, and pulled out the little box. With anxious hands, she opened it, and the gleam of small gemstones welcomed her.

“Where'd you get that?”, Leon asked with wide eyes.

“It's la Cojona's old jewels. I thought of grabbing some money, but...I thought, since I'm already a thief, why not stick it up to her? They're ugly as heck, but I can pawn them off.”

There were some fancy earrings, a bead bracelet, some small gold chains and assorted miscellaneous buttons and camera chips at the bottom. It wouldn't bring them much, but it'd be stupid to pass on a few good bucks.

_“You know, I'm starting to like your way of doing things. You definitely know how to get around.”_

“Oh, please. I'm just a vagrant, doing vagrant things.”

_“I've been in your boat a couple times. If you can stick it up to your enemies, you shouldn't hold back on doing so.”_

“Know what? I like your style too.”

And she high-fived the snake shaft. The Condor tilted a bit, which made her sit up in a hurry to grab the commands. 

“So. How about you tell us about the Condor factory, till we can get there? Did you go there?”

_“I did. It's located in the second City of Gold, in Tibet. It can produce any orichalcum machine if you have the right blueprints, entirely on its own.”_

“Oricha...what?”

_“Despite its name, the Golden Condor isn't made of gold. Yeah, that surprised me too! But it's actually an intelligent metal. It absorbs sunlight and turns it into...well, pretty much anything!”_

“I've heard of it.”, Tina thought up. “Plato mentions it in his dialogues. I always thought it was some sort of copper alloy.”

_“The truth's even crazier. I think it's sunlight given a solid form.”_

Tina paused in her tracks.

“That...is not possible. You can't make light into a solid!”

_“You know, the world's wilder than you think. Some things are possible, when you think they're not.”_

“Maybe, but that's science we're dealing with! You can't make photons into solid molecules, that's all!”

_“Can we? Back in my time, I thought it would be impossible to cross the ocean in one day, and yet we did it. I thought humans would never learn to move things with their mind, and yet I've witnessed it. I thought...”_

His lights became all pensive for a moment.

_“I thought there was no such thing as the Child of the Sun, Atlantis and Mu, reincarnation and lost cities. And yet, I've seen it all. I've been there. You can't begin to imagine how much it changed me!”_

She didn't know what to say about that.

_“Things might be hard to believe.”_ , Esteban continued. _“But sometimes, there's just more than meets the eye. There's explanations no one considers, there are truths that are yet to be revealed. There are treasures concealed deep within the past, that hold the key to all sorts of wonders!”_

She thought on it for a time, silently piloting the bird. 

“Are there...answers to the secrets of history?”, she attempted, a glint of hope in her tone.

_“My present is your past. What was my life, is now your history. If I could find the answers to some of the greatest questions of my epoch, then you will find the answers to the secrets of your past.”_

It wasn't much to go on about. But maybe, if only for that, it made her feel hopeful.

_“Just keep an open mind. Now that you bear the medallion, you'll meet all sorts of things that will completely change your vision of the world; how you deal with them will affect you.”_

“I'll...do my best.”

She knew she sought answers to long-gone secrets, some of which couldn't be revealed anymore. She knew she was looking for answers to questions that couldn't be asked, for no one could know the possible scope of such knowledge. But if she was to find them, she'd need to accept whatever she found, even truth she found unlikely or disappointing. Such was archeology: one can never find what they want to find, but they can find more than that.

For the time being, she'd keep going forward. 

“Speaking of secrets...it's time you told us what you know about the Cities of Gold, right? You've held off long enough, I believe.”

_“It seems I have, indeed.”_

And so, Esteban began his story.


	9. Numbers

_“I'm sure it will be great.”, Esteban said after a time. “I think that...it's about time, anyway.”_

_Tao nodded, still staring ahead._

_“I'm a little scared of how she'll react, though. What if...what if she's not ready?”_

_“Then at least she'll know how you feel. Isn't that what matters?”_

_Under the setting sun, the two friends were having a decisive moment. Sitting on Esteban's wing, contemplating the view of the rivers and lakes below, Tao was nervously rubbing at his fingers. It was so strange for Esteban to see this side of him, he who was usually bursting with confidence; needless to say, it made him feel weird. But that was what was happening, right now._

_“I want to make sure it's the right moment.”, Tao admitted after a time of silence. “I only have one shot.”_

_“You don't. You've got your whole life ahead of you to try again, if it doesn't work now.”_

_“But what if she says no? I can't possibly try anything again if she does...”_

_“Well, at least you'll stop worrying about your perfect proposal plans, and you'll just carry on like it never happened.”_

_Tao sighed, letting his forehead rest in his hand._

_“We can't just pretend it didn't happen. We'll both know it, and it's going to be super awkward.”_

_“How does that change anything? Even if things happen, we keep moving on. That's what I did.”_

_The grim reminder seemed to strike Tao somehow. Esteban needed a moment to remember that it wasn't the best topic ever to mention. But why hide the truth? Everyone had grown accustomed to his death, and he was still with them, so it's like nothing ever changed, right? It didn't feel like a big change for him. He's long grown past it. Nothing had changed, **nothing**. _

_“It's not that easy.”, Tao eventually said. “It's like breaking a mirror. You can put the pieces back together–”_

_“–but you'll always see the cracks. I know. You already told me that.”_

_Esteban let the light wash over his wings, enough to appear in a smaller form and sit next to his friend. As usual, something in Tao's expression changed subtly, something like fright that he tried to hide. Esteban was used to it as well, he knew that he was nothing but a ghost of light now. So what? He couldn't do anything about it, so why focus so much on it?_

_“Look.”, he tried. “You love Zia, right? And you want to make sure she's okay for the rest of her life?”_

_“Yeah...but what does that…?”_

_“Then do it. Go for it. Ask her! If you don't, you'll never know if it's possible. Imagine if you died tomorrow? You'd have all sorts of regrets on your mind, and you'd never get the chance to know her answer.”_

_At the mention of death, fright definitely took a hold of his traits._

_“You don't have to be so grim, you know? I won't die tomorrow.”_

_“Well you never know.”, Esteban shrugged casually. “I mean, I didn't.”_

_He was rubbing salt in the wound, he knew it. But if that's what it took for Tao to make the best decision of his life, then he'd play all the dirty tricks in the book, and dirtier ones even._

_“I don't want to marry her because I might die someday.”, he said eventually. “I want to because I love her. Because I care for her. That's different.”_

_“But that's just as valid a reason.”_

_He heartily pat Tao's back, and it only succeeded in making his shoulder feel all warm._

_“If you care for her, you'll know that she cares about you too. You're all she has left in the world, now! It's time you step up and make it worth her while!”_

_“Is that your way of motivating me?”_

_“Is it working?”_

_Tao looked away for a moment, head tilting in thought._

_“...a little.”_

_“Then it is!”_

_He stood up on the wing, fists clenched in determination._

_“Come on! Every minute you spend here ruminating your feelings is a minute you spend away from her! Are you going to ask her hand, or what?”_

_“Well, yeah! That's what I was going to do, you know!”_

_“Then why don't you do it?”_

_Tao stood up in turn, taking a deep breath. It was so strange to see how tall he's gotten over time, for in the span of seven years, he's grown so much that Esteban's head was only reaching his chest. He's changed a lot, too, and it was satisfying to witness: since Esteban couldn't change anymore, watching his friends had been his catharsis. A painful catharsis, that reminded him that while everyone was growing up, he was stuck._

_“I'll do it.”, he said with determination. “I'm going to ask for her hand.”_

_“Will you, now?”, Esteban teased._

_“I will!”_

_“Really? You won't chicken out at the last minute?”_

_“I won't!!”_

_“Then go and do it!!”_

_And he slapped his lower back in encouragement, but his forearm broke away in a cloud of light that left no physical sensation whatsoever. Tao shuddered, like a bucket of hot water had been thrown at him, but quickly regained his composure and slid down the Condor's beak. His feet landed on the ground and his eyes on the camp in the distance, and he took another breath as Esteban landed nearby._

_“I don't want you to regret it.”, the latter said. “Go, do it, achieve your dreams! Go forward, don't look back!”_

_“I will. Thanks, pal.”_

_And he stepped forward. But then, he stopped, and looked back at him._

_“Hey, Esteban?”_

_“Yeah?”_

_His confidence got tainted with something like hesitation. It was obvious he wanted to say something, but couldn't bring himself to._

_“I...I just wanted to say. Thank you for all you've done for us.”_

_Oh, so that was what worried him? Esteban waved his hand dismissively, deciding to be chill about it._

_“It's no big deal. I'm your loyal steed, after all.”_

_“No. You're more than that. You've been our friend, all this time. You've been like...like a brother to me.”_

_Tao rubbed his arm nervously._

_“I know that...I haven't always been a great friend to you. I was young, and stupid, and I didn't know...how to deal with my own feelings.”_

_Esteban rose a brow._

_“It's all forgiven, now. No problem.”_

_“No, I mean. I...”_

_He sighed._

_“If I'm going to be married soon, I need to get this out of my chest. But I just don't know how.”_

_He searched his words for another moment, decidedly stuck between waters._

_“I was...a dumb kid. Really. I thought I was jealous of you, of your status as Chosen One, of...of everything. You had it all for you, and I was envious...I thought I hated you. Especially with...all the stuff about our ancestors, and the war. I thought I wanted to be your rival...”_

_He looked away for a moment, and Esteban didn't really know what to think of that._

_“But the truth is...I was just confused. I kept looking back on these times, after...after the whole ordeal. And...well, what I mean to say, is...I think I really liked you.”_

_Esteban tilted his head, confused in turn._

_“And...that's all? You liked me, and? You still like me.”_

_“No, I...I mean, like. Really, **really** liked you. As in...”_

_He hid his face in his hand._

_“I'm sorry. I'd...I'd say it, I have no trouble with it, it's just...it's just so weird right now. I'm not sure I'm comfortable with it, actually...”_

_“...ah. **That** kind of really, really like?”_

_Tao hesitated, before nodding._

_“I thought it'd bring me closure to say it, but...I'm sorry, it's just too weird for think of, right now. I don't know why...”_

_Slowly, realization struck Esteban. And it didn't feel good at all._

_“That's because I'm still a kid.”_

_It stung a lot to think of. But he couldn't blame him. Esteban had long forgotten what was weird or not, and he stopped caring; but he also forgot that others were not in this situation._

_“Well...I was a kid too, then.”, Tao attempted. “I don't really know if we would ever have gotten together, but...well, now we'll never know.”_

_It stung again._

_“Yeah.”, Esteban dismissed. “Let's not think about the could haves and could have nots. It's best we focus on the present. And right now, you have a big present to think of!”_

_Quickly, he tried using his cheer to disperse the unease, and it seemed to work. At least, enough that Tao didn't look uncomfortable anymore._

_“Indeed. I should get back to the others. I think we'll have a lot of discussing to do.”_

_“Come back with her answer. And I hope it's a positive, alright?”_

_“I can't guarantee anything, but I'll do my best.”_

_He chuckled, and Esteban smiled in turn. Then, after an awkward greeting, Tao went on his way, soon leaving his line of sight._

_As for Esteban, he stayed sitting there, not feeling the need to move. There was no point in moving, when he'd disappear at dusk anyway._

_That's when he felt Killa's hands rest on his shoulders. The first traces of night were starting to appear, but the sun hasn't quite set yet._

_“Do you want to follow them?”, she asked in a soft voice._

_“...no. It's useless now.”_

_He leaned back into the illusion of her embrace, and she gently caressed the image of his hair._

_“It's never useless. You have a second chance at life, why not take it?”_

_Esteban scoffed bitterly._

_“That's not life. That's nothing like life.”_

_He hid his makeshift face in the semblance of her shoulder._

_“That's just torture.”_

_And Killa couldn't prove it otherwise, for she knew in her heart that it was the truth. So she said nothing, and simply held him close until he disappeared._

__

~~~~~

“So how much did you get?”, asked Leon between two swipes.

“Seven hundred. That's not a lot, but it'll help.”

Tina put the jewelry box back into her bag, after taking out one of the spare sim cards laying there. The Condor's beak closed as she sat on her seat, and she proceeded to take apart her phone to switch the chips.

“And what are you doing now?”

“Covering our tracks. They can triangulate our position if they call me, and I'm not risking it.”

“Ugh. Again, they don't even know we did it! So we're safe, right?”

“We still have disappeared from the face of the Earth, for all intents and purposes. As far as our parents are concerned, we ran away during our museum trip.”

She turned her phone back on, and was met with low battery. Sighing, she put it in her pocket, wondering where she'd find a place to charge it.

 _“I get why you're so scared of adventure.”_ , Esteban commented. _“You can't let go the clutter of your lives.”_

“It's not clutter, it's just…!”, Leon protested. “Well, we need it, that's all.”

“And that's just our lives. We have parents, friends, obligations. We can't just run away from it all.”

_“You should tell Killa about it, she's best suited to talk about these things. As for me, when I got the chance, I ran away without as much as a bag.”_

“That sounds like a you problem.”

“Yeah, and also you're dead now.”

_“Ouch. Talk of a punch in the guts...oh wait. I don't have any. So I don't care.”_

Tina rolled her eyes, and simply started takeoff. Next stop: straight south.

“Can't believe there's a City of Gold right here.”, said Leon once he was done scrubbing his seat clean. “Right nearby. Who'd have thought?”

“The Mayas are full of surprises, Cities or not. I guess Mrs Fermonte was right.”

“That's what we call the domino effect. You write a shitty essay on your special interest, and by the end of the week you've stolen from a museum, ran away from home and now you're en route for the Yucatan.”

_“Sometimes the smallest events can have unforeseen ripples, that lead your life in a whole new direction.”_

“Are we sure it's the right one, though?”, Tina wondered. “What if we're doing the wrong thing?”

_“Then you'll have a chance to make up for it. But you know, it's best we don't think about the could haves and the could have nots. What is done is done, and we have to deal with it.”_

“I guess...”

She corrected her trajectory, trying to make the compass point in the right direction. Below, the little Mexican town was slowly disappearing, giving way to roads and empty areas shone on by the afternoon sun.

“So anyway. If we don't have a map, how can we know where we're going? Do we just...fly over the whole country till we find the City?”

_“Oh, it won't be this easy. If you want to find a City of Gold, you've got to go the distance. You've got to take the whole journey!”_

“What? But I thought you've been there?”

_“I have. But you haven't.”_

Tina sighed. Well, she knew it wouldn't be a leisure flight to these places of great knowledge, but now why make the trip longer on purpose?

“I thought we were running out of time to repair you?”

_“No one said that. I can make it just fine. But I'm not carrying you to the other side of the world when we don't even know if you have what it takes to access the City.”_

“Didn't you say the medallions opened them?”, asked Leon, fiddling with his own.

_“It's not about the physical keys. It's about whether or not you're ready for this experience.”_

Some more lines flashed on the screen.

_“The Tseila library is a heart of knowledge about some of the world's most burning questions. It's the best place to learn about the culture of Mu that you obsess so much about.”_

“It's called _passion_ , thank you.”

_“But entering won't be as simple as knocking on the door and getting in anyway. If you want the answers you seek, you need to earn them. You need to prove that you deserve to enter this place, that you're not doing it out of a selfish need.”_

That made sense, of course; but yet it didn't sit right with her. That felt like gatekeeping, honestly.

“And...what if I can't prove myself worthy? Do I just give up? Will we have done all of this for nothing?”

The very idea hurt to think about. She didn't need a test to know that she wasn't pure of heart or intentions. Sure, her goal was truth: but truth alone couldn't pay the bills. Answers on their own weren't worth much. The thesis she wanted to write was meant to be read, her future books to be published; the knowledge she sought was meant to be shared! If that deemed her selfish, then she'd never be able to find what she wanted.

“...hey, Tina.”, Leon said after a moment. “You know, if the Cities deny you entry, it just means we need to grind some more. Worth and all this stuff, it's just a fancy way to say 'level up', right?”

“...I doubt now's the time for metaphors.”

“No, really! We just have to figure out what they want, and then work for it! It's like getting good grades, all it takes is putting effort where it counts.”

She sighed.

“I can't exactly study to change the pureness of my heart or the selfishness of my goals. This test is not one we can prepare for.”

_“Actually, there are ways. And this is where the journey comes in.”_

The Condor was going over a clear strip of land, following the road south. Mountains, hills, patches of green, maybe even the coast in the distance; they had such an amazing view from here. To think that this would lead them somewhere even better was hard to imagine.

“Did you go this way?”, she asked after a time of silence.

_“Not exactly this one, no...but I followed a similar path. I've learned a lot about myself during that year.”_

“Think you'll know where to guide us, then?”

_“I'm the Golden Condor. That's all I need!”_

“I...don't see how that can help us.”

_“That's a lesson you'll have to learn, then.”_

And he pushed forward, flying over towns and empty plains without a care in the world.

If he knew where to go, that'd greatly relieve Tina. Without a map or anything, she'd just lose them in the desert trying to follow a path she couldn't comprehend. If Esteban was willing to guide them, then it'd be a good thing.

At least, this time could be used to teach her about piloting the Condor. She thought she's done some progress since this morning, but the real evolution would come later. She looked at the dashboard, and hesitated between two buttons before pushing one on the right, which showed her a bunch of numbers. The one in the corner, she knew was the current time: about 4pm. At least she could already read a few numbers in this alphabet, the skeleton of which she's started to parse in her notes.

“Do you think we'll find the trail by nightfall?”, she asked.

_“I doubt it, but we can try.”_

She thought for a moment, and in a thrust of inspiration, pulled out her phone.

“If you remember where the City of Gold is, I could try looking it up on Maps. That is, if I still have data...”

She went to open the app, but realized she wouldn't have enough battery to make it work.

“...hey, does the Condor have solar batteries or something? All this energy's got to go somewhere...”

_“There's some cells to store emergency power.”_

“Think I could plug my phone in? I really need it.”

She swore she could hear him huff.

_“Again with your clutter.”_

“It's not clutter, dammit. It's a work tool. I can come up with a map, I just need some electricity. And I can also look up a lot of useful things, even answers to your questions about today. This thing is worth a million books, you know!”

There was some silence for a moment, the Condor's light unmoving. Then, a shy inquiry.

_“Does it have...storybooks?”_

The question surprised her.

“Uh...I could find some, yeah. Why, you...you want to read stories?”

_“...Condors can get bored, you know.”_

She couldn't help a chuckle. How adorable.

“I can even have them read aloud to you, if you want. In Spanish.”

_“It can do that??”_

“Oh, my poor Esteban. You have _no idea_ how much it can do.”

His lights got all bright for a moment, during which the Condor accelerated a little. Seems she won him over!

_“Alright. I think there's a panel under the dashboard that comes off. Maybe you'll find something useful there? Be careful, though.”_

“Leon, gimme a hand?”

“On it.”

Leon headed to the back of the commands, to fiddle with panels and what looked like wires. He took Tina's phone charger, and started looking for a way to plug it in; but several minutes of silent flight passed, during which it was obvious he found nothing.

“So?”

“So there's nothing. I mean I could stick it into a random hole, but won't that grill your phone?”

“There can't be _nothing_. Here, lemme.”

_“Hey, keep your hands on the commands!”_

“Leon, take the commands.”

“I don't know how to!”

“Learn. We're both chosen ones, so do it.”

She stood up, and the Condor trembled a bit before Leon hurried to grab the gear shift. Tina went to look in turn, and pushed aside some clear wires and strange tubes to reveal a bunch of dials and buttons and little lights.

“What are all these things for?”

_“I could ask the same thing about half the things in your body, that are unknown to you yet essential to your good functioning!”_

“...point taken.”

She looked around, hoping with all her heart that she would find something that'd work, and not be stuck with having to recharge at some café or library every time. Her finances would never handle it.

Come on, she thought. If this is really meant to be, this shall happen. She didn't know why, but she closed her eyes, felt around to some clear tubes of steam, and gently pushed them aside. When she opened her eyes, she found a bunch of little holes, one of which gave her an idea. She took her charging cable out of its plug, and inserted the USB end into the rectangular hole. To her surprise, it actually fit; heart beating away, she plugged her phone in, and the little lightning bolt of all reliefs came up on her screen.

She didn't hold back her smile.

“See? There was one.”

Leon rose a brow.

“The fuck? I looked all over, there was nothing.”

“Well you should have looked harder.”

It was a rather slow charging, but it would work just fine. She put her phone down right by, and went to resume her piloting duties.

“Give it an hour or so, and you'll have all the books you want. In the meantime, Leon, I'll need your copilot skills.”

“That's all I am now, it seems.”

He picked her phone, sitting on the ground, and opened Maps.

“So, we just left Delicias, and we want to go...let's say, Yucatan's capital. We're looking at...thirty hours by car! Hope you packed a sleeping bag.”

“The Condor's not a car, though. We don't have to follow all the twists and turns.”

_“And we're going quite fast. Usually it wouldn't take so long to cross the country.”_

“But we have to make up for your weak state. And we can't spend all day in the air either.”

“Well, the fastest option would be to fly over the sea. And we're not risking it, are we?”

_“I don't feel confident enough yet.”_

Leon tapped away at the screen.

“If we cut through Mexico City, it's sixteen hours away by car.”

“No, we're definitely faster than that. How long has it been since we left Heighpeak?”

“Fuck if I know...we got there a bit before noon? And then we followed the road, so we stayed close enough to a car trip.”

“Isn't there an app or something to find out our speed?”

_“You know the Condor can show it, right?”_

“Well, when it shows me in a script I can read, I'll be very happy.”

She looked at the Muan letters showing on the screen, which to her still looked like gibberish.

_“I think I can try doing something about it. But I have to figure out how.”_

“Good. Because meanwhile, I punched it up and we're flying at around 155mph. That's not even the speed of a regular airplane.”

_“That's not the number I have. I registered 135 knots.”_

“Different eras, different units.”

Leon ignored Esteban's annoyance as he kept typing.

“So. If we keep going at this speed and follow the veeery rough path of the roads...we'll be there in less than five hours!”

“That's doable. But we might not make it all the way until sundown.”

Esteban, who had remained rather silent during this exchange, piped up.

_“So...you have a map in there too? How do you know where you are?”_

“It tells us. It uses the GPS thing I told you about to know where we are on Earth.”

_“A map that tells you where you are...and it can do so at any time?”_

“Pretty much, as long as we have coverage.”, Tina said. “But I don't have a lot of data, so let's use it sparsely.”

_“Wait, if the map knows where you are, then you don't need landmarks to locate your position. We don't have to follow the roads if we know where we're going!”_

Tina opened wide eyes.

“That's actually smart! Leon, how long will it take if we just go in a straight line?”

“That'll still take about the same time. We might save a half-hour or so, but...hey, if we keep going straight, we could go faster? We'd just have to check the compass to know we're headed the right way.”

“Esteban, think you can push yourself?”

_“If you take me higher, I could try. I need sunlight.”_

“Alright, then! Fasten your seatbelts, kids.”

She took a deep breath, and tilted the snake upwards, letting the Condor gently regain some altitude. At the same time, she tugged it forwards, and the speed meter started to increase. She could do this. She could do this!

She let her hands relax, let her heart calm down. The speed was bearable, the height was too. Everything from the warmth of the cabin to the light reflected on the beak was making its way into her mind, leaving an image that was starting to become more familiar the more she piloted this beast. The whirr of the engine was like the purr of a cat, by now; strange, yet comforting somehow. She could get used to it, she thought. She could grow to...like it, perhaps.

Even if she turned out unworthy of entering the Cities of Gold...this wouldn't have been a waste of time.

“What do you think we'll find in Yucatan?”, Leon asked her. “Is the City still standing?”

“I doubt it. They'd have found it by now. But with the turn this journey is taking, I'm expecting anything.”

_“That's the spirit!”_

The Condor reached above the clouds, and more light touched to the wings. The speed rose again, and it felt like a rollercoaster right about to drop. The best feeling in the world, besides being right.

_“That's what adventure is about. Going forward, without ever looking back.”_

“That's a strange thing to say.”

Esteban chuckled.

“It's alright. A bit of strangeness never hurt anyone.”


	10. Stories

The lights of the city were starting to put on their show, illuminating the darkness of dusk with artificial stars. It was a sight one wouldn't find that fascinating, unless they came from a whole different century; needless to say, Esteban was thoroughly gasping in awe at the wonders of electricity. Guess some things just couldn't be ignored, Tina thought as they landed. 

Since the Condor couldn't use its cloaking device at night, due to lack of sunlight to reflect, they had to land out of sight. Luckily, there were more than enough national parks and mountain areas to hide in and still be within walking distance of town. 

“We'll be good here.”, Tina said, observing the surroundings. “The trees will shield you from view.”

“Let's just hope no curious Instagrammer comes around. We almost got spotted back then.”

“I'm sure we'll be fine.”

The fresh air was good on their lungs after an hours-long flight, and to stretch her legs definitely was needed. Tina took some steps in the grass, spinning her arms a bit to ease the tension.

 _“Where will you go for the night?”_ , Esteban asked, appearing on the Condor's beak.

“Not sure. We should stay near, just in case.”

“In case of what?”, Leon scoffed. “We can't fly away at night.”

“Well, still. We're in an unknown place, we don't know anyone and we have to lay low.”

Even though it was getting a bit cold. Maybe she should put on a sweater or something, if she remembered to grab one.

“I don't think you understand the chance you're missing on.”, he continued. “See this town over there? That's Mexico City! We're on an unsupervised trip out of the country, right in the home of fiesta, and you want us to miss out on the fun?”

“We can't exactly afford to have fun, remember? We're supposed to lay low!”

“Look, you do that if you want. But you said it yourself: you've never left the States. Now you've got a golden occasion, mind the pun. And you'd just let it slip?”

“This isn't a leisure trip!”

_“He's not wrong, you know. Leisure is an important part of the journey. You should enjoy yourselves some more.”_

He pat Tina's shoulder.

_“Especially you, Tina. You've been in a lot of stress today, why don't you relax? I can keep the Condor safe.”_

“...I really don't know...”

She was starting to doubt, but Esteban wouldn't let go.

_“Come on, you're children! You've got to have fun while you can. Especially since I can't anymore.”_

“Do you have to always say things like that?”

_“If that makes you agree with me, yes.”_

He chuckled like a kid. Guess he still was one, after all.

 _“Besides, you won't be alone.”_ , Killa's voice said, before she appeared next to her son. _“Esteban's right, but this place remains unknown. The least you can use is some adult supervision.”_

“Are you sure you're okay with this?”

_“Of course I am! I want you to enjoy yourselves. The journey matters as much as the goal.”_

“You heard the lady. Let's go already! I'm hungry. I want some real tacos.”

Seems like everyone was against her. Tina sighed, and finally gave up, to everyone's glee.

_“Here. Take the sun emblem with you, so I can follow you.”_

_“But be careful with it. Without it, the Condor can't take off. Also, there's my medallion disk in there.”_

Tina nodded, and slid the emblem off its socket. The snake shaft slid back into its hatch, the commands closed up, and the Condor lowered its head. Outside, Killa was looking as excited as ever, yet tried to show some restraint. 

“Well...guess we're gone to have fun.”, Tina shrugged.

“Last one to town is a rotten bird!”

“Hey, wait up!”

_“I should keep an eye on him.”_

And so, the three of them made their way to town. And as little as she wanted to say it, Tina had to recognize that this evening looked rather promising.

She's never been to such a big town. Everything was shiny, new, promising; it was like the world had blown out of proportion, and showed her all sorts of new colors and sights. There was noise, there was music, there was _activity_ , and for her who's never stepped out of rural and underfunded New Mexico, this was a wonderful sight. Leon was like a little kid in a toy store, looking at shop displays and restaurant menus with wide eyes, taking in all the bright and the new. No dust roads to be seen here! 

If this had quite an effect on the two of them, Tina could barely imagine what it must do for Killa. The slightest things were enough to make her gasp and open wide eyes, or pause in her stride with touching reactions. She looked completely out of place in this bright and fast setting, she whose white dress and pale hair floated in the wind behind her like a ghost, so much so that everyone looked at her like she was a dama de blanco straight out of a medieval legend or creepypasta. Her light was dim in comparison to streetlights and traffic lights and neon signs, but it was still enough to draw unwanted attention. So between two corners of the street, Tina stopped her.

“Look, I...I get you're excited and all to be here, but can you...dim it down? You kind of stand out.”

She took a look at herself, and only now seemed to notice her strange pallor and slight radiance. Maybe it was the upcoming full moon that gave her such bleached hues?

_“I...do suppose it looks strange.”_

“No doubt. You look like a dead bride looking for revenge.”

It's true that she had something of a bride in her floating white wedding dress. She was so young, too… For a moment, Tina wondered how she died, but figured it would be rude to ask. One does not ask an amputee how they lost their limbs, a blind person if they still dream of images, and a ghost how they died. That was basic decency!

_“I should adjust my form, but I don't know what could be better. I can't help being made of light.”_

“Maybe if you turned into something that's naturally all white? Like...a dog?”

Tina frowned at him.

“She can't turn into a dog, you dimwit!”

_“That...is not false. I have never tried, to be honest.”_

“Wait. You can?”

She focused for a moment, and disappeared in a cloud of light particles. But then she reformed, in a small bundle that fluttered around, and perched itself on a nearby street sign. Tiny, flying, white, and with a lovely moon-shaped crest.

“A...is that a parrot?”, Leon asked, head tilted.

_“How do I look?”_

She looked proud of herself. Tina held out a hand, and Killa perched there, light as usual.

“Well...it's pretty. And I guess cockatoos aren't too rare...but still, why a parrot?”

_“...it made sense to me. People still tame parrots today, do they?”_

“I suppose.”

That'd definitely bring attention, but at least nothing worth filming them over. They continued their way, as evening was setting and night life was starting in town. 

Tina was still a little stressed over the possibility of being found out, but her worried started to ease with time as they walked through town, taking in the sights. It _was_ a pretty town, after all, and it was likely they'd never come back here after their adventure was over, so why not take a needed break? They'd have time to worry later on. And Esteban said it himself: they've earned it. 

Evening settled as they kept walking, following no specific direction. They tried to avoid crowds as much as possible, but sometimes streets were so packed that it was plain impossible. Ironically, in large crowds no one took the time to notice them or say anything about two lone kids and their white parrot. But it wasn't the most comfortable place either; so after a while, they decided to change streets and go somewhere less busy.

Night had fallen by the time they decided to grab something to eat. They sat on a bench in the town square, happily digging into the best tacos Tina ever had in her whole life. The place was much more quiet, with only some people around at this hour, and it felt like she could take a needed breather. 

“I could get used to this.”, Leon commented. “Being on the road, only stopping at night? Sign me in.”

“You're only saying that because you can finally charge your tablet in the Condor.”

“Might be, might be not. Why, is that bad?”

“Feels kinda vain to me.”

“Then call me the Chosen Vain.”

And he stuffed his face full of beans. Tina rolled her eyes, and looked on the other side of the bench.

“What about you, Killa? Do you like the twenty-first century so far?”

The moonlit ghost was sitting peacefully, not eating anything. She was staring at something ahead with intent, so much that it made Tina look in turn. 

In the middle of the town square, where there would usually have been a statue or a fountain, was some sort of modern art piece. Tina squinted a little, trying to identify its shape, but only saw some weird anchor on a pedestal.

“That's...an anchor, I think.”, she shrugged. “Art is weird.”

_“I know. But...for some reason, I can't help thinking I've seen it before.”_

Tina raised a brow.

“Were you a sailor?”

 _“I died before I could.”_ , she said with that same casualty that always made the kids shudder. _“I think...yes, I think this is Esteban's memory, not mine.”_

She stood up, coming closer to the statue. Definitely intrigued, Tina followed.

“You can see his memories?”, she asked, curious.

_“We spent hundred of years with each other as only company. He never really knew me, and I never got to know him...we wanted to catch up.”_

Esteban definitely didn't tell her about that. What happened in these two's life? She didn't press the matter further, since it would definitely open up old wounds, and instead read the plaque under the anchor.

“It says it's an anchor from an ancient ship.”, she translated. “It was found off the Peruvian coast, and gifted to this town.”

_“An ancient ship?”_

She thought for a moment, gears turning so hard in her head that it made her light undulate. 

_“It can't be...”_

She gently floated up and touched to the anchor despite Tina's warning, and her moonlight rippled over the surface. Tina stepped back, fearing the worst; but nothing happened. Killa stared for a moment, but eventually landed back on the ground.

_“No, it's not what I thought. That...wouldn't have made sense, anyway.”_

“That reaction, though...do you think it's made of orichalcum?”

An idea struck her.

“An ancient ship built from orichalcum...do you think that…?”

_“That it could be a Muan ship?”_

Killa opened wide eyes.

_“Could it be from the Solaris itself?”_

“El Solaris, dijiste?”

Killa and Tina looked at each other, and then behind them. In their discussion, they hadn't noticed someone else was now standing next to them.

“Well that's a strange name for a boat.”, the raggedy guy said. “But I wouldn't be surprised.”

Tina stepped back a bit, and Killa dimmed her light, not wanting to be spotted. But the strange guy was seemingly more interested in the anchor than in the two of them, looking at it with interest and thought. 

“You...know of it?”, Tina attempted warily.

“'course I do. My bisabuelo was part of the team that fished it up from the sea, about seventy years ago. And now it's standing there, anchoring a boat that's not there anymore.”

He touched to a golden decoration on one of the points, with a hand stained with something like grease or motor oil; yet not a stain was left on the shiny surface. It was a bit of a miracle, given this guy looked like he's just finished a shift at some auto repairs shop.

“I always wondered about it. Statues always get covered in rust or pigeon damage, but this one stayed golden all this time. What you said it was made of?”

Tina frowned a little, stepping back again. Leon had made his way to her, but was staying a safe distance behind. 

“I don't know why I should tell you.”, she retorted, ready to protect the secrets of Mu.

“Relax, I'm not gonna eat you.”, the man scoffed. “Already had dinner anyway. Honestly, I'm just here to talk about boats, really.”

He shrugged, leaning against the statue. Killa just stared at him, and he glanced her over with a casualty that made her uncertain.

“Cool costume.”, he said. “What are you, la Dama de blanco?”

_“That is the third time someone said that, and I am starting to think it is meant to insult me.”_

“No offense. Just looking kinda pale, that's all.”

_“Well you do not look any better. You're stained with...whatever this is.”_

“Point taken.”, he simply said. “Guess it's been such a long day that I'm too tired to care.”

He stretched his arms, decidedly not in the mood for questioning things any further. If anything, that was a good thing.

“Do you know where we might find this boat?”, Leon piped in.

“Well, yes and no. It's a wreck, so it's at the bottom of the sea. But I guess they fished out statues and such, maybe they're in a museum in Lima today.”

“No thank you!”, Tina interjected. “I've seen enough museums in my life!”

The man looked at her with wide eyes, before breaking into a chuckle. 

“Hey, easy, kid! What, did school force you to take a boring visit?”

“We might...say something like that, yeah.”

She'd need to be careful, lest she be caught. The burglary wouldn't have made international news, but that didn't make her any less on edge.

“You shouldn't be. History's a nice thing to learn from, y'know? There's always tons of lessons to get.”

“I know that.”, Tina said, her pride rustled. “I know it more than you.”

She held the man's gaze, but that only made him laugh some more. 

“Kids and their ambitions, am I right?”, he asked the other adult.

_“Ambitions are a good thing to have. And you shouldn't talk lightly of a child's determination.”_

“I'm not. It's a good thing, really. Kids these days are always on their phones, they don't care about the past anymore. That's sad to see, really.”

“Well, you'll be happy to know we care. A lot. That's kind of why we're here, actually, to find the Cities of– ”

Tina lightly elbowed Leon in the gut, mouthing the words 'lay low'. But sadly, the mechanic had heard it all.

“Let me guess, you've been fed a bunch of bullcrap about the Cities of Gold and think you'll find them and get rich?”

There was a hint of condescension in his voice that Tina didn't appreciate at all.

“Well, good luck with that. Tell you what, if you bring me some of the gold, we can split.”

“We're not doing it for the gold. We're doing it for knowledge.”

“Ah yes, the secret to life, the universe and everything. It's a children's story, you shouldn't waste your youth on things like that. No one's ever managed to find these cities, except scammers and hoax maniacs. You'll get more luck searching for Atlantis.”

 _“Atlantis does exist.”_ , Killa said with annoyance.

“Yeah right, and I'm a mermaid in disguise.”

He laughed again, and this time Tina huffed.

“Listen up, pendejo. You don't get to speak about what you don't know. We're out there searching for the Cities of Gold, while you're stuck with your shitty job in a lousy-ass car shop, and doing nothing of your life. So which of us is wasting their time the most, huh?”

It felt good on the moment, but only once it was too late did she realize she's just insulted a stranger who's done nothing wrong, and simply came to strike a polite enough conversation. He looked at her with wide eyes, and the premices of anger that made Tina's fear of beatings flare up.

“...I was joking, kid!”, he said, offended. “No need to lay it all on me like that!”

And he walked away, still completely taken aback by such rudeness. Tina felt so horrible about it that she couldn't help following him.

“I'm sorry, I didn't mean it!”

“Look.”, he said sternly. “I was a kid too, you know. I too was chasing legends. But it brought me nowhere, and now I'm stuck in a lousy-ass car shop, as you said so well! Honestly, I'd whoop your ass for such rudeness, but I'm at a point where I can't even bother to care. So thanks for nothing.”

“This isn't what I meant!”

“Beat it. I've got a life to waste, I can't talk.”

And he turned away. Tina looked at Leon, at the guy, and once again her hands didn't obey her anymore. In one gesture, she snatched the medallion from her neck, and held it off.

“If this is all legends, what do you make of _this!?_ ”

The guy looked at her with annoyance; but when he saw the golden moon, he stopped dead in his tracks. 

Tina's made another mistake, she knew it. The guy paused, and walked back her way, as she realized she'd just busted their cover. She tried to step back, but his eyes were now transfixed on the jewel, like it was the pinnacle of all the secrets of the world.

“...where did you get that?”, he breathed out.

“It's...a long story.”, she said, trying not to lie.

“Kid. Do you realize what this is?”

He was blinking away, as if he couldn't believe it. 

“It's...valuable?”, she tried.

“You bet it is! But there's just not enough cash in the world for this thing!”

He looked at her, flabbergasted.

“You can't be serious. Don't tell me you're...you're _actually_ …?”

She didn't know what to say. Was he asking if she was a Chosen One? She hesitantly nodded, and this drew an even bigger reaction out of him that he tried to keep in check. He went to speak, but then looked around, as if he just remembered something. He seemed to think for a moment, before searching in the pocket of his shorts and digging out a business card.

“Look, it's late and I have places to be. But...if you're serious about this wild goose chase, you _have_ to come see me.”

She took it with caution. _Joaquim Garza – Pizarro Automotriz_ , it read.

“Your name's Joaquim?”

“Joey's good. Look, if you know your history as good as you pretend, then you'll know this isn't a coincidence. Couple kids, moon necklace, Cities of Gold? You know how the story goes, right?”

She remembered Esteban's story.

“Pretty much.”

“Good. I might have wasted my life, but I got some things that are worth looking into. And I think your coming here wasn't an accident, but you know that already.”

“Yeah, we know.”, Leon shrugged.

“Come see me in the morning. Bring your mother if you want, I don't mind. You're alright with that, ma'am?”

Killa raised her hands in dismissal.

_“It's their path, not mine. I'm only here to keep an eye on them.”_

“Then it's set.”

Tina looked up at Joey, doubt in her eye. Did this guy really have good intentions? Well, the fact he was here at the same time as them likely wasn't a coincidence, indeed. But it still felt strange. Was it part of the journey, too?

“...it's set.”, she eventually said.

Joey nodded, and went on his way. Tina looked at the business card for a moment, not sure what to think.

“That guy's definitely the kind to hang around preschools.”, Leon said. “Think we should bolt it out of there?”

“I...don't know. Really, I don't.”

“Isn't it weird that he just knows what we're about, and pretends he can help us?”

“It's not like the Cities of Gold are a top secret either. There's many people looking for them.”

She put the medallion back around her neck, and looked at the way it reflected the streetlights. 

“He recognized the pendant. And he knows about Muan vehicles. If anything, we should at least listen to what he has to say.”

“Alright. But if he ends up giving us candy, it's your fault.”

_“I would never let anything bad happen.”_

Tina looked at the business card for a moment, before putting it in her pocket. She didn't want to believe that the trail of the Cities of Gold still existed today...but maybe, maybe it wasn't as gone as she'd have thought. 

At least, this was as good a starting point as any other.


	11. Echoes

“I'm not sure this is a good idea.”, Leon reiterated. “We don't know what he wants.”

“I know. But we don't have much else to go on off. If he can help us, it'd be great.”

Morning was rising slowly, illuminating the Condor's frame and warming up the cabin. It felt nice to have some warmth in these otherwise chilly days, if only to ensure they could take off later if they needed to.

“What'd you think, Esteban?”, she asked the Condor who's otherwise been silent.

_“He says he knows about the Solaris, so I'm tempted to say it's worth a shot. But people helping us are a double-edged sword. He could try to hurt you and get the treasure for himself.”_

“I thought there was no treasure?”

_“That wouldn't stop pilferers and graverobbers.”_

Tina looked away, knowing very well Esteban's stance on the matter.

“You could come with us and see for yourself.”

_“I'd rather not. His lack of reaction to Killa's form was strange to say the least; I wouldn't be surprised if he turns out to seek immortality as well.”_

“Think he's an alchemist from the Order of Whatwasit?”, Leon pondered.

_“The Order was disbanded. At least, that's what likely happened...”_

“It could very well leave something behind.”, Tina said, looking up from her Internet search. “I wouldn't be surprised if there were still descendants of alchemists alive today.”

“There's always descendants. How could these people get married? Being part of a super-secret order isn't exactly the best thing to put on your dating profile.”

“They'd marry one another, I guess. There were women amongst the Order, right?”

Silence befell Esteban for a moment. Tina looked up.

“Guess that's a no, then?”

_“Sorry, I was lost in thought. I didn't get acquainted with everyone there, but I knew there were some. One in particular, I knew well.”_

“Ooooh, Esteban had a girlfriend?”

A hand of light popped out of the wall to flick Leon in the face.

“Ow. Right in the dignity.”

_“I wouldn't be surprised if she had a family. With everything we've run into, it's possible.”_

“Think we might run into kids of your old friends?”, Tina pondered.

_“I ran into you two, so I'd say it might happen. Some of them might have passed down useful things.”_

“Five centuries's a long time to pass down stuff. There's always gonna be one down the line that sells it all online for drug money.”

_“Not all heirlooms are physical, you know.”_

“Well those can also be sold, you know.”

He was joking of course, but Tina felt a pang of guilt nab at her. That was definitely something her father would do, and something she'd loathe to get from him.

_“Yours still passed down the medallion of the Sun. And it's been passed down for an even longer time before that!”_

“I mean...Leon's kind of right. Family heirlooms are not what they used to be, because families changed a lot over time. It's not as straightforward as before.”

_“Ah...”_

He sounded disappointed. Tina just sat up, pocketed her phone and pat the dashboard.

“But don't worry. If we're meant to run into that, we will. And we'll make sure to tell you.”

_“It's alright. The past is in the past.”_

With a click, the sun emblem ejected the medallion disk it held.

_“Here, I finished reading it. Take it with you, you might need it.”_

“Thank you.”

“We should get going, before we get seen. There's people coming in the park.”

Tina put the disk back in its moon socket, as Leon plugged in his tablet and opened some website.

“Anything that strikes your fancy?”

_“...I don't suppose you can find the story of Amadís de Gaula? I never got around to read it.”_

“Never underestimate the power of Internet, my friend.”

He started looking it up, as Tina opened the beak and peeked outside. The coast was clear for the moment; the weather was still sunny enough. She stepped outside, feeling a little nervous for no reason, and picked the business card in her pocket to read it again.

Esteban's old friends, huh?

Leon finished setting up an audiobook to read some Spanish story, before leaving the Condor in turn. He stretched his arms, yawning out in a cat's fashion, and set forward. Well, might as well follow; there's no good in staying stuck in the same place.

~~~~~

“Are you sure that's alright?”

“Honestly, I don't mind. This junk's been sitting around for ages.”

Joey opened up the garage door, and it lifted to reveal piles upon piles of cardboard boxes and strangely-shaped items. The smell of dust immediately hit their noses, and Tina sneezed a good couple of times before daring to set a single foot in there.

A lightbulb lit up, sending a pale yellow light over the collected scraps and pieces that covered every wall of the garage. Car parts were taking up most of the front, tires and plates and all sorts of pieces Tina had no clue about, as well as half-empty bottles of cleaning products and utility fluids. Joey casually kicked some stray bolts and nuts off the floor back into the piles of parts, as he made his way deeper in, moving boxes and packages around. Some of these must have weighed a lot, but he had the arms to pull it off like it was no big deal.

“Why haven't you sold it?”, Leon asked, looking at what looked like a small statue hidden behind a tire.

“You think that crap sells?”, Joey scoffed. “I can't even make it into scraps! Who'd buy metal that doesn't know how to melt?”

He pushed a big box aside, clearing out a somewhat-safe path for the kids to come through. Behind all the car-related supplies, a good third of the garage was being taken up with strange items that looked like they belonged either in a museum or in a car dump.

“But that's valuable!”, Tina noted. “You said those were salvaged from the shipwreck? They're priceless treasures!”

“Trust me, my folks spent _a lot_ of time trying to get rid of it. Half of it's broken or water-damaged, but the old man just wouldn't get rid of it.”

He scoffed, nudging some Inca-looking face with his foot.

“Sure wonder why. It's just taking up space I need.”

Leon picked up what looked like a ship compass; it was rusty and twitchy, and the loose parts rattled when shook.

“Aren't there people that restore old stuff like that?”

“Sure are, but that's money I don't have. If you take it off my hands, I'll be glad it served some purpose.”

Tina doubted it, honestly. These items were treasures, sure, but what use would they have for it? Honestly, she wasn't so sure.

“Why are you showing us that?”, she asked.

Joey simply shrugged.

“I dunno, honestly. I thought you'd know what to do with it.”

He looked at the accumulated reliefs and scraps, thoughtfully.

“It's been taking up space for so long, and I can't seem to get rid of it. Everybody's been piling off this junk for ages, and now it's my turn. Kind of like...the sacred guardian of bisabuelo's whatever.”

He bitterly scoffed.

“But you know what? Maybe there's a reason I kept it. If you two are who you claim to be, you'll know what to do.”

“We're Chosen Ones. Not junk removers.”, Leon huffed.

“Chosen by who? Maybe your title is worth just as much as my stuff.”

Tina scraped some dust off a sundial-looking tool, revealing the design underneath. No doubt, it was the same as her medallion's; but she didn't have the first clue of what to do with it. Maybe it was just a design choice, or maybe this tool had already served its purpose.

She turned to Joey, doubt in her eyes.

“You really think we're up for this?”

The mechanic simply shrugged, leaning casually against a wall.

“Look, it's not my place to think anything. Maybe I'm just a fool with dreams too big for his head, maybe all of that is just junk and maybe you're wasting your time.”

He glanced away, betraying some honesty in his words.

“...but a guy can dream, right? If there's a chance that this whole...thing is really happening, and you guys are really the chosen kids, then I can at least try to help. Honor the long tradition, y'know?”

She looked at him, not knowing what to make of it. There were other people that believed in the legend of the Cities of Gold? In a sense, it was...heartwarming, to know that she wasn't alone. Somewhere in the world were people that would take her seriously, that wouldn't try to discredit her research as “dreams” and “theories”; he was even _encouraging_ her! If she were any less on her guard, she'd even find it touching.

Everywhere Esteban went, there had been people to help him, to guide him, to point him in the right direction. Wherever the Chosen Ones have been, there's also been a myriad of strangers that have told them of places, people, legends; even the tiniest things and tips have helped in some way. Perhaps Esteban's people were long gone; but that spirit of help still existed today.

Well, stranger danger existed too, so let's not put our lives in unknown hands just yet.

“Hey, look. That one's for you.”

Leon pulled up something from a box, and handed it to her: a book. Well, the remains of one at least: it was all worn down and stiff, like it's been thrown in the water and haphazardly dried. A good chunk in the corner had been eaten to bugs, and the cover was missing its spine.

“Was that from the ship too?”, she asked, delicately taking it.

“Not sure.", Joey said. "A lot of things here are the old man's findings, but there's some that come from collectors markets and stuff.”

He toyed with the jade stones bracelet at his wrist.

“Can't believe how much 'Inca treasures' you find for cheap, if that were true. Oh well, at least some are pretty.”

Tina carefully opened the book, and was met with blank, stiff pages. The ink had washed off most of them, leaving only smudges and unreadable scribbles. Many were stuck together, and she dreaded to pull them apart lest they break.

“I doubt that's an Inca treasure. They didn't know how to write, so how would they have books?”

“People are stupid. They'll buy it anyway.”

Focusing a little, she could make out what looked like sketches surrounded by text. A couple lines in the center were relatively untouched; struck with doubt, she pulled out her own research notebook, and compared the text with what she'd written.

“The letters look similar.”

“Think this could be Muan script?”, Leon gasped.

She didn't know. She squinted her eyes, trying to make out one of the sketches under the flickering yellow light. The ink had seeped through the page, imprinting it despite water damage; the grooves of the pen were still there, slight and mangled with all the others from after and before. She held the book closer to her face, and the smell of book dust hit her right in the nose, giving her that dazed high that brought back memories of libraries, of hours of research, of these old encyclopedias that smelled so weird yet so good, and that made her head feel weird. Deciding to chase that high, she couldn't help taking another whiff for curiosity's sake, just as the lightbulb started to violently flicker.

Her eyes got caught in a split second of darkness as her head was still full of that drug-like old book scent, and in her state of daze, everything felt weird for a moment. For a moment, the lights danced in her eyes, and the paper suddenly looked blurry; she held onto a box, feeling like she'd fall back somehow, and that's when she saw it.

For a moment, a single moment, the ink resurfaced. For a splinter of a second, the text appeared to her, intact and untouched like it had just been written. For a time so short it might as well have never existed, she glanced at what was written, at the sum of knowledge concealed away in these pages, at this foreign script that eluded her ever since she started this research; and for a moment, a minuscule and insignificant moment, she _understood it_.

She couldn't read it. She's never learned to read this language. She didn't know the sounds, the words, the structure. But during that short while in which everything felt weird, it was as if it somehow made sense to her. Like she recognized words in a foreign language that she'd taken in primary school but hadn't practiced since, and that yet she could comprehend years later when she thought she couldn't. For that short time, the meaning of these characters and the subtleties of their language appeared clear as day to her, like it was as natural as her mothertongue.

And then, the light reappeared, and the high vanished. Joey banged away on the light switch, and the lightbulb stopped flickering. Not a second had passed; when she looked at the page again, she was disappointed to find that the letters had disappeared, and it was looking as old as it did a minute before.

“...you alright?”, Leon asked, brow raised.

“...yeah. I am.”

She blinked, trying to make it happen again. But it didn't, and disappointment quickly filled in.

“It's weird. For a moment, I thought...”

That she suddenly learned how to read the symbols of Mu? No, it didn't make sense. It couldn't make sense. Language didn't work that way. No one could learn anything like that.

She hadn't learned anything. She's just...remembered. Like she's already known it, and it had resurfaced for a moment. But that didn't make sense either, did it?

“You okay, kiddo? You're looking pale.”

“I am. I just had a weird...book smell high.”

Joey chuckled.

“Yeah, it's dusty stuff. Be careful with that.”

Tina stood up weakly, holding onto the wall. The raw stone and concrete scratched at her fingers, but she didn't care. She was too busy trying to parse what had happened to care.

“You...wanna get out of here? I wouldn't be surprised if there were fumes of something in there. It's not safe.”

“Yeah, it's best.”

They carefully made their way out of the piles of junk, and headed outside the garage. Only once they were out did Tina notice she's kept the book in her hand; she turned to Joey, but he dismissed it.

“Keep it. Honestly, keep everything you want. At this point, I just want it out my garage.”

“Well thanks for your help.”, Leon piped in. “You're doing us Chosen Ones a service.”

“It's you who're doing me one. Giving me a reason to keep all these things around...well, now I know it hadn't been in vain.”

Tina didn't say anything, just staring at the book. She could still make out a vaguely sun-shaped pattern on the cover; this wasn't a coincidence.

“If you find out you need anything, just give me a call. I'm never too far.”

“You're awfully nice to us. What does that hide, really?”

Joey simply shrugged.

“What, do I need a reason?”

Leon stared at him. He was a short kid, with nothing intimidating to him; but his stare managed to make Joey look away for a moment.

“Well, alright. I...did say that my elder loved fishing up old wrecks and stuff, but I didn't specify it wasn't exactly for good reasons.”

Tina tilted her head.

“You mean...he was fishing for treasure? Plundering is illegal, you know.”

“Of course I know!”

Joey sighed.

“Look, not everyone makes money by honest means. A lot of that junk _did_ sell, but now it's way too risky.”

“You could give it up to the authorities. Claim that you didn't know.”

He shook his head in a way that meant it wouldn't be so easy.

“It's too late for that. I could face consequences, and I don't want to be held responsible because some ancestor of mine did dirty things.”

He looked at the kids, yet Leon hadn't given up staring at him. Joey couldn't even threaten him to stop, for some reason.

“...I want to be better than those greedy assholes I come from. That's all.”

“It's a noble goal.”, Tina said.

“I don't even know why I'm telling you this. You're better not knowing.”

“You have a dirty conscience. That's all.”

Again, they stared at Leon for his weird-ass choice of words.

“Say what now?”

“I'm just sayin'.”, the boy shrugged.

Joey glared at him weirdly, before turning away to lock the garage door.

“Yeah, right. Whatever. Anyway, I have work to do, so don't go on repeating what you heard.”

“Don't worry. We don't have an exactly clean record either.”

“Good. You'll know what I feel then.”

Tina tugged Leon by the arm, and the kids walked away from there. Once they were a safe distance away, she glared at him sternly.

“Don't do that again. He could turn us in, you know!”

“What? I'm just saying what's true.”

“Well, don't. Smartasses get broken asses.”

“You just made that up.”

She didn't answer, looking at the book under her arm. Sitting down on some stairway, she took her research log, and flipped the pages until she found out her transcription of the Muan alphabet, salvaged from cross-referencing long lists of old documents from blurry pictures.

“So what'd you learn?”, Leon asked, looking at her.

“Nothing.”

She still couldn't read these letters. But something was nagging at her. Taking her pencil, she followed this feeling, like a typo her brain had picked on before her eyes could, and that itched at her to correct. She followed it to one of the signs, that she knew was wrong somehow; she erased it, and rewrote it properly, facing the letter the other way. The itch calmed down, and it felt normal again.

“But you did.”, he insisted. “You just...wrote something.”

“I didn't! It just...makes more sense to me now. I don't know why.”

She kept looking through her hesitant transcriptions of words, letting that perfectionist feeling guide her to errors she didn't know she made. As soon as she corrected them, it already felt better; was this what OCD felt like? Perhaps, she's never had any diagnosis done due to lack of parental interest. She just could somehow sense errors made in a language she didn't even speak.

“Maybe you spent so much time on old texts that you can read them. Or at least know what they look like, so you spot errors easily now.”

“I don't know. Maybe. I keep telling you, it just makes sense.”

She touched to a sketch she made, one of the tapestry with the sunbird and the child. Her fingers trailed over the pencil traits, leaving a thin line of graphite on her fingertips. She recalled how she felt upon drawing it, what words and sounds she's listened to while working on it back at that café after the museum visit. Like the drawing still carried a piece of her mind in that exact moment, and whenever she looked at it she could throw herself back to that instant.

She looked to the old book next. Opening it, she found a drawing that hasn't suffered too much: a pair of eyes staring right at her, surrounded by strange jagged shapes. She stared back into them, as if she was challenged to a contest, and attempted again to see what was hidden in them. She hadn't drawn them, obviously, but she wanted to try something.

She tried to put herself in the shoes of the author. What could have they been thinking about, when they made this sketch? Whose eyes were these? What words, what melodies were they thinking about, when they made this drawing? She stared, she held their inky gaze, glancing into these almost hypnotic spirals and bats and eyes, until a sense of sorrow washed over her.

Her hands felt cold, her back shuddered. She felt out of place for a moment, and wondered what she was doing here, reading old books and chasing the high, when one of her friends had just died. She shouldn't be messing around! She had a mission to find the Cities of Gold, and the key to them was to follow the crazy man's path. She turned the page, and saw the map she's sketched earlier: the rivers, the mountains, the destination. The real fresco was there, hidden away, and they'd need to find it! Even though it hurt, they had…

“...to follow the rivers.”

Leon looked at her.

“What'd you say?”

“Huh?”

Tina broke out of her trance, suddenly realizing her surroundings. She was sitting on stone steps between two streets of Mexico City, during a busy morning where people would pass by them without giving them a glance. The sound of cars surprised her for a time, and when she looked at the book again, she didn't see anything resembling a map.

“...Leon. What was I doing just now?”

He tilted his head a bit.

“You were...staring at the drawing. And all of a sudden, you looked real sad, and just stared some more. And then you said something like...'we have to follow the rivers'. And then you broke out of it, and you asked me what you were doing just now. And I said–”

“That's enough, thanks.”

That impression just now definitely was strange. She turned to another page, and failed to replicate the experience, to her great dismay. But she knew that if she tried, it'd probably wield similar results.

“What time is it?”, she asked, not taking her eyes off the book.

“Uh...soon 10am, why?”

“We have time before we go. I'd like to try some stuff.”

“Suit yourself.”

He shrugged, and just let her keep on going. Tina opened yet another page, this one with some writing left on it, and focused.

She looked at the page like she wanted to read the words, but also to see something behind them. Like they were one of these patterned images that'd reveal a 3D shape with enough focus, she tried to spot the hidden meaning they concealed. She focused on what she was feeling, hearing, on the rough feel of the paper under her fingers, on the footsteps around her, on the color of the washed-off ink. This wasn't reading, as much as it was something else. Something entirely else. Something that she wouldn't have believed in a week ago, but that was entirely _possible_.

Her heart was beating to her ears. Her arms felt tired without she knew why. Was stress catching up to her? Did she too have a guilty conscience about something? She tried to ignore it, but the more she focused on the paper, the more it came to her. Lights danced in front of her eyes, soft lights like Esteban's when his consciousness rippled across the Condor. Her heartbeat was becoming louder, faster, like she was about to have a panic attack. She tried to calm herself, to stay composed, to just write down what was appearing in these moving lights, as the beat kept going, banging away, banging without stopping like a metal drum. The lights got obscured, and the banging turned into a deafening ringing that had her cover her ears, as everything around them filled with smoke. She looked down at her book, worried that she hadn't copied it all down, but the signs appeared to her clear as day.

Fire. Within. Eyes. Dragon. See. Way. Show. They were the same letters as she's already seen, they were nothing but sounds; but she knew, she _knew_ they were meant to be read as such. She just knew it, it was an unwritten rule, and she knew it. The message was there, unclear as night but readable, and it was up to her to know what it meant.

A clapping sound woke her up. She blinked, raising her head, and saw Leon's worried face in front of her. He had put his hands over hers and closed the book, breaking her out of her state. She looked around, and saw no fire, no dragons, no smoke. Only his visible worry and confusion.

“This is definitely not fine.”, he breathed. “What happened? You looked...in pain, or something.”

“I...don't know.”

She held the book.

“It's so weird. When I read this thing, I can...not see, but I think I can... _feel_ things? I...I see words and drawings, I see what was in there. But then it starts being weird, and I...”

“And it's like you're there. Like you know in what circumstances it was written.”

She blinked, and looked at him.

“Yeah? How do you know?”

“...I don't know. I just thought it was what happened. Guess I was right.”

Okay, that was definitely weird. She opened the book, and again nothing had appeared.

“Could this be a magic book?”, she asked. “One that records more than words?”

“It can't. It doesn't have the magic vibe.”

“What do you mean?”

He shrugged.

“It just...doesn't feel magical. There's nothing special about it.”

“You saw what happened to me, though.”

“I know! And that was crazy! But it's not the book's fault.”

“How can you be so sure?”

“I...I don't know. It doesn't fit the pattern, you know?”

She looked at him like he's just spoken another language.

“What pattern?”

“Again, I don't know! I just...magic things have a pattern, they have a logic. This book? It doesn't have the right pattern.”

She pondered on it. Was it another of Leon's 'things', like when he pretended to be a lion prince or to have superpowers? Slowly, she took the medallion from under her shirt.

“What about these things? Do they...fit the pattern?”

Leon looked at it for a moment.

“I'm not sure. Honestly, it could fit, but...there's more than just magic. Its pattern is so broad that I don't even know where to start.”

“Don't tire yourself out, then.”

She stood up, put the book under her arm.

“We should return to the Condor. It might rain soon.”

“What about it? If we can't take off now, it's fine. We can stay for a time, we've got cash.”

“The Condor can't turn invisible when there's rain. We need to not be seen, remember?”

“Yeah, yeah. Lead the way, captain.”

Tina started heading back, trying to find her way through unknown streets back to the Condor. In all honesty, if there was something strange happening to her now, then maybe it was a sign of much stranger things to come. With everything that's happened in the past few days, there was no other possible outcomes, she knew it.

Her fingers touched to the book cover again, as if to convince herself. Nothing happened, perhaps to her relief; however, for some reason, her shoulder suddenly felt like an empty seat waiting to be filled.


	12. Phantoms

Leon picked a cigarette butt off the ground, and tossed it to her.

“Quick thinking, what's this one?”

Tina caught it in her hand, and immediately a wave of stress and sorrow hit her.

“Wow, that's a sad one.”, she said. “Likely going through a divorce. And a pack a day.”

She dropped it, soon before she was tossed a piece of plastic wrapper that fluttered in the air.

“Strawberry cookies. Starving, lots of hunger. Definitely stolen change.”

“I don't get it. How do you do that? Did you get powers or something?”

“It's _not_ powers! It's just...I know where these things come from, that's all!”

“Like, you get visions?”

“It's not that, it's...it's feelings. Like, my eyes tell me that it's a piece of plastic, but my hands tell me it comes from a pack of strawberry cookies that was bought with stolen change! I tell you, I just _know it!_ ”

“You think some of Joey's junk did it?”

“I barely touched any of it. No, we'd better ask Esteban.”

She picked a weed from a crack in the ground, and nothing happened. Guess it didn't work with everything. She then touched to a random wall, and her back prickled like she'd just leaned against slightly rough concrete. No visions or words; only sensations. Flashes of memory that weren't hers, like she was peering into something else's soul. Well, if pieces of plastic or walls _could_ have souls, that is.

“At least, now that means my own powers can grow.”, Leon said proudly. “It's only a matter of time!”

“You seem very sure about yourself.”

“Why wouldn't I? I'm the Chos–”

“The Chosen One, yeah, you already said it too many times. It's tiring now.”

“The truth can't be tiring. It can only be true.”

“And annoying.”

She bopped him on the head, playfully, and to her mixed relief and surprise nothing happened. She paused, and held his hand to see if she'd read anything from him, but it didn't work.

“Huh. Doesn't work on people.”

“Actually, that's a good thing. I'd hate for you to see my thoughts.”

“I don't see thoughts. I don't see anything.”

“You know what I mean.”

She looked at her hands, as if she was trying to spot something on them.

“There's so many ways this could go. And some of them, I don't like.”

“We're not even sure of what you can do! You said it yourself, you don't know. Maybe it's not what we think it is...I mean, are you sure what you see is true, or is it perfectly random?”

“I don't know. How can we test that?”

“I think I have an idea, but first we have to see Esteban. It seems right.”

Tina tilted her head, looking at him.

“Another pattern thing?”

“Sort of. That just feels logical.”

She shrugged, accepting that answer as any other. Luckily, they weren't that far a walk away from the park where they left the Condor.

Esteban was still there, letting the soft voice read out some story to him. He was maybe too into it, for the Condor reacted later than usual when Leon started wriggling his pendant about; but he eventually let them in.

When Tina's hand touched to the ladder bars, another faint phantom sensation coursed through her. This one was slight yet very intense: dozens, hundreds of strides up and down this access way, all felt in a second's span. Thousands of hands that have climbed up and down this beak, and she had felt them all in the blink of an eye. It was definitely unsettling, but luckily it only happened once as she climbed inside.

 _“Welcome aboard, everyone.”_ , Esteban greeted, kicking up the engines to warm up the cabin. _“What did I miss?”_

“Nothing too fancy, I'm afr–”

“Tina's got superpowers and also she can read Mu language now!!!”

A deep silence felt the Condor for a good moment following these words.

 _“...what?”_ , Esteban beeped. _“Superpowers? What do you mean?”_

Tina sighed, knowing it couldn't be avoided.

“Look, it's...I don't know if it's true. But when I touch some things, I kind of...see their soul? Sort of?”

“And she can peek into the past!”

“Wh- I never said that!”

“But it's true! Come on, orange, show him what you can do!”

“Only for that, I won't!”

She sat down, nearly squishing Leon's tablet in the process. Ugh, did he have to put it on her seat? She picked it up, and when she did, another flurry of slight sensations came to her; mostly rewarding thoughts, but some she didn't really want to know anything about. 

“Argh. Dude, you definitely need to get off this thing. You search weird stuff.”

“Hey, that's private!”

Leon snatched his tablet away, jealously keeping it close to him. Seems like _someone_ didn't like to have their search history accidentally peered into.

 _“Wait. What you did just now...you saw things, didn't you?”_ , Esteban asked.

“Yeah. Kind of. It's...it's not sight, it just feels like I know what's going on.”

Slowly, Esteban's hologram formed out, looking at her curiously.

_“What do you mean? Can you explain?”_

Tina searched her words and her memory for a good moment. How to explain such a fleeting, subjective experience?

“Some things...have a memory.”, she attempted. “It's like...when I draw something, and I listen to music at the same time, I'll associate this drawing with music, and I'll hear it when I look at it. Well here it's the same thing, I...I sense things associated with items.”

She produced the book from Joey's garage, and showed it to him.

“Joey had this old book, he let me take it. When I tried to read it, it's like...I could peek into the author's mind. I could know what he was thinking when he wrote down all this stuff.”

“How do you know it's a he?”, Leon scoffed.

“That's the thing, I just know. It's all vague, it's...it's not thoughts, but silhouettes of thought.”

She couldn't help a chuckle at the stupidity of such a concept.

“I know it's hard to believe...I think I'm getting a little dizzy and I'm seeing things, that's why.”

She looked at Esteban, searching for validation, but found out he hadn't moved. His eyes were transfixed on the book, like Joey's when she showed him the medallion. Slowly, she opened it, revealing the drawing she's seen, and Esteban gasped quietly.

_“The Fresco of the Evil Eyes...”_

“You know this thing?”

_“If I know it? Tina, I've been there! It's...no, it possibly can't be. Quick, turn the pages!”_

She did so, careful to not rip them apart. They were so stiff, it felt like they'd crumble any moment now. 

_“Those are from when we first entered the Thallios. I recognize them.”_

“We? Who's 'we'?”

_“I don't know how you did it, but...you got a hold of Tao's book.”_

She opened wide eyes, looking at the book. It couldn't be…?

“Tao?”, Leon repeated. “Your friend?”

_“Yeah! He always had this book that he carried around everywhere, and he wrote all sorts of stuff in there! He'd draw things, too- he was such a great artist, I was always kind of jealous- but it's here! I haven't seen it in five hundred years!”_

“Wait, didn't you say he was one of our ancestors or something?”

_“After knowing the two of you, there's no doubt about it.”_

Tina couldn't believe it. Her...her _ancestor_ had written this book? And now, it was in her hands? A relic of knowledge that crossed through time, to carry its messages to the other end of the millenium, right into _her hands?_

Slowly, she trailed her fingers over the dirty cover, circling the sun motif. She opened it, and half-blank pages welcomed her with washed-off writings and sketches of complex mechanics she didn't understand. Leon and Esteban's excited voices barely came to her as she read through the lines of text, read without understanding or having any idea of their meaning. Yet as she did, that strange feeling in her chest started to bloom open, and little by little the unknown glyphs revealed their meaning. The text appeared clearer, as if she knew what was written here, as if she _remembered_ it. As if her ancestor himself was telling her the key to understand it somehow; like he was guiding her hand under the lines to read, helping her take a new step into this world.

These were numbers. Calculations. The sketch above was that of a machine, an elegant dragon-shaped construct; the calculations were trying to determine its exact size and mass. The more she read, the more it started to make sense, and the more she could figure out the rest; she turned the page, and was met with even more obscure symbols that slowly unveiled their meaning to her. She wasn't sure she could read them all, but then it felt so natural, like it never left her. Like somewhere in her laid a knowledge she had forgotten, a distant memory of long lessons she was recalling. It just...made sense. The meaning of these symbols was becoming clearer to her, and she was slowly piecing them together to form words, sentences, following a logic she wasn't quite getting yet, but of which she knew the grounds. She turned another page, and the paper didn't feel stiff under her fingers but smooth, supple, like it was brand new paper. The fresh ink glinted under the Condor's light, making the lettering shimmer with knowledge she had been eager to put out of her mind. She remembered it: she had written these very words, they were her doing, and little by little she was completing this encyclopedia, filling it with her findings, her discoveries, her calculations. Turning yet another page, she found a beautiful sketch of the sea dragon that brought them here, followed with notes about this brand new City they've just discovered. But then, her heart filled with sadness, for memories of scientific research were becoming too much to bear. She couldn't believe she had been betrayed! Her mentor, her friend! How could he have done that? She felt right about to cry again, and in the solitude of her hold, she didn't stop herself from doing so. Her tears stained the paper, deforming the words she had just written, but she didn't care. She was too sad to care, now. Why bother continuing? Everything she believed in had shattered in the span of a single day, and she couldn't take it any-

A sudden warmth engulfed her face, and the memory was broken. She raised her head, blinking around, and it took a moment to recall what she was doing. Esteban was in front of her, cupping her face in both of his hands, and he was looking worried.

“...what?”, she asked, confused.

 _“You were crying.”_ , he said softly. _“You were reading, and then...you started crying.”_

She touched to her face, and noticed that indeed, her cheeks were wet. She looked down at the book, and there was a water stain on the page; but it was dry. It wasn't her tears that smeared this ink.

_“Are you alright? What happened?”_

“I...I'm not sure.”, Tina breathed, wiping her tears with her sleeve. “I guess I got carried away. I was reading, and I started...feeling things. I felt like I could read this language, because...well, because I _could_! And then, I think more emotions got mixed into it...”

Esteban looked at the book, thoughtful. Carefully, he touched to Tina's hand, but she felt nothing out of the ordinary.

“I don't understand what's happening. It's...it's weird, and it's starting to scare me. Why is it that I get weird feelings and visions when I read this book?”

_“I'm not sure either. But...maybe this isn't happening for no reason.”_

He looked at her. His eyes were the color of gold; his whole being was made of golden light, but Tina felt like even as a living human, his gaze had the color of sunlight.

_“Zia is the one who passed down the medallion to your family. When she was young, she thought she was a girl like any other, with nothing special to her. And then, as we went further into our quest...she started developing strange abilities.”_

Leon's interest got picked up at that.

“And she's also our ancestor, right? Do you think…?”

_“That she passed on her abilities to you? It's possible.”_

Tina blinked, looking down at the book.

“Could she...read into things too?”

_“If she could, she never told me. Perhaps she simply passed down her potential, and you developed this ability on your own.”_

Leon was this close from bouncing with excitement on his seat.

“Is that for real!? You mean to tell us we have _powers_?”

“But...but how come no one's ever told me? Something like that should be mentioned, right? Why didn't mom…? Why- does anyone know??”

 _“I don't know the details.”_ , Esteban quickly cut. _“But Zia was always secretive about her gift. She didn't like to flaunt it around. So maybe it was passed down her lineage, but remained dormant.”_

Leon took his medallion in hand, like it was the source of great power.

“How do we activate it?”

_“There could be a thousand of ways! Tina, when did you first start...seeing things?”_

She tried to remember. 

“I...I guess it was at Joey's garage, this morning. I tried to read the book, and...for a moment, I just felt weird. And before I knew it, I was seeing it like it was brand new.”

_“And you've never seen it before? You've never studied the language of Mu?”_

“Well, I tried, but...it's not like I had dictionaries or anything. I've seen this kind of writing before, but...I've never understood it.”

She touched to the book cover, traced the sun design again. A doubt struck her, and she pulled out her phone, where she's stashed several pictures found online of various tablets and statues engraved with similar characters. She focused, tried to read them, but nothing happened. She recognized some of them, knew what sounds they were; but it just didn't make sense. She couldn't form them into words or parse their meaning.

“Why doesn't it work? It did a second ago...”

She held the book again, opened it to a random page. Immediately, it felt easier; she knew she'd understand these lines if she tried, if she put her heart to it, for such was the way of the descendants of the people of– 

She closed the book. The sensation lingered for a split second before disappearing.

“Does it...only work with the book?”

“It worked with a piece of wrapper. We need to test it more.”

Esteban thought for a moment, before getting an idea. He put his hand through the console, and the snake gear shift slid out of its hatch.

_“Let's try something. I'd like you to hold onto the snake, and try to recreate what you felt when you read the book.”_

Tina sat up on the pilot's seat, and did so. Her thumbs found their usual place on the cobra's hood, and she focused onto its ruby eyes.

She tried to read into them. To parse the meaning of this snake, to make it speak with her mind like an open book. Could she even do that? She doubted it. It wouldn't work that easily. It didn't make sense.

But then again...what if it did?

_“Alright, Tina. You can do this.”_

Yes, she could do this. She _would_ do this! She took a deep breath, and let the Condor's lights convince her that something was going on. She could do this, she's done it before! She readjusted her hands on the shaft, trying to get it to work, and pulled it her way.

There was a tremor, as if the Condor was taking off. She got scared for a moment, but kept going as if nothing happened. She had to do it. She was doing it for Esteban, for Tao! She couldn't just leave them hanging. She closed her eyes, drew it from her heart to make the Condor take off, fold its legs, take to the skies!

_“Tell me. How do you feel?”_

She tried to assess it. It was...difficult, like she wasn't sure of where she was anymore. What was she doing? Why for?

“I feel...scared.”, she hesitated. “There's danger. My friends are in danger...I need to help them! I...I need to make the Condor fly!”

_“It's alright, Zia. I'm safe. I'm here.”_

“You are? But...then, what do I...”

She opened her eyes, and blinked. The whirr of the engine stopped, and she looked around. What was she doing? She...thought she was going to take off?

“I...don't understand.”, she stuttered.

“Yeah, me neither.”

_“I'm not sure I do. But if my hunch is correct, then...it looks like you can peek into some specific moments of someone's life.”_

Tina rose a brow, slowly recovering her surroundings.

“How does that...work?”

_“I heard somewhere that we put a little piece of ourselves in all that we do. Just now, you remembered the first time Zia ever flew the Golden Condor. You put yourself in her shoes, and felt what she felt.”_

Tina blinked.

“You mean...what I felt really happened?”

_“It must be the same with the book. It was a very important piece of Tao's life, so the connection is much stronger.”_

“Oh! Maybe it's so strong, that you can actually know what he knows? That's how you can read this language!”

She looked at the book, more perplexed than ever. But slowly, the pieces of the puzzle started to fit together, and realization hit.

“So that's why it feels so natural. It's because I know...because _he_ knows, and I'm seeing it! I can know what others know!”

“That's amazing! You have...ah, what's it called again? I need to know!” 

He started typing away on his tablet.

“So does that mean I can know anything about what I touch? Could Zia do that?”

_“I'm not sure about her. But you said your gift only allows you to peek at things, unless they have a very strong emotional connection to someone.”_

“It feels surreal. Can you imagine? If I can read this book despite its damage, I could learn so much about the knowledge of Mu!”

She opened it to one of the last pages, and found what looked like a sketch of a face. It was washed off and blurred, but it still looked like one.

“I could...learn about my ancestors. About your friends. Perhaps if we find other things that belonged to them, I could see it like I was there!”

_“What if it can go beyond that? If we get you to the actual Cities of Gold, you could be able to pierce their secrets by looking into the minds of who built them.”_

“I'm not sure I can do that. I only get so vague sensations from things.”

_“It's alright. You just discovered it this morning, so it's only a figment of what it could become. I know that even without training, Zia could do quite amazing things; you too can attain that, if you practice.”_

“That's so incredible. Did Tao have abilities like these too? What about you and Killa? Could you do anything like this?”

“Psychometry!!!”

They both turned to Leon, who was holding his tablet up and suddenly felt stupid for shouting.

“...that's what it's called. Learning about people by touching objects.”

He handed Tina the tablet, and she scrolled through the page.

“Wow, that's...a lot. I don't see myself able of these things.”

“For the time being. Don't worry, I happen to be an expert on extrasensorial abilities! I'll train you in no time!”

“I can't thank you enough, Master Wu. Thank you so much for your help.”

She put a hand on Leon's cheek.

“Oh, wait. My psychometrics powers tell me you're full of bullshit, and that you're not even Chinese. Your real name is…Roberto Rodriguez de la Conchatumadre, and you own the crappiest empanada stand in the seven continents!”

“Alright, stop pinching me, or I'll make you eat my empanadas. And not through your mouth!”

Esteban was chuckling, watching these two playfully bicker. He was smiling, as if something was endearing him, and Tina eventually raised a brow at him.

“What's so funny, birdie?”

_“Nothing. I'm just reminiscing.”_

His smile seemed to think otherwise. Tina put a hand on the dashboard, and maybe Esteban's reminiscing was that strong, for she got a clear memory for a splinter of a second.

Two kids, bickering playfully ahead of him. Two kids being children, being playful, being friends. A happy image, one of fun and good times, that was now tainted with sadness and regret.

Slowly, she looked up at him, her smile dropping. As if he knew that she knew, he turned his head away, not wanting to face it. She didn't want to make things awkward, so she just cleared her throat, and sat up.

“We'd better get going. Rain's about to fall.”

_“...right. We should take off.”_

He retreated into the bird's body, and some lights came back on.

_“Where are we headed?”_

Tina thought for a moment. The next step on their map was the Yucatan, where they would start searching the City of Gold. But a doubt suddenly struck her, and she turned to Leon.

“I think you know this one. What's the pattern?”

He looked at her surprised, as if he didn't expect it. But then he thought up some more.

“...rain is falling. The Condor will be weakened. It hasn't known rain in five hundred years.”

_“Rain is not dangerous for the Condor, but if it starts falling as I fly, I doubt I'll land safely.”_

“It will definitely rain when we'll cross the ocean. If we're not ready to make that small a journey, we can't make the bigger one. We want to be sure Esteban and Killa can hold up.”

“Well, we could try to patch up the Condor's open wounds. But how? It's not like we have the tools or the skills to repair it. We're not mech...”

Blink. 

“...we're not doing this.”

“Come ooooon.”

“Nope. We're _not_ going there.”

“But it fits the pattern!”

“No way! I don't want to jeopardize our safety. The Condor's going nowhere.”

_“Um, I don't want to sound rude, but what are you two going on about?”_

Leon grinned, as Tina simply crossed her arms, feeling how bad of an idea this was. 

“Trust me, Esteban. I have a plan to patch you up until we get to the Condor factory.”

“This will _not_ end well.”

Leon simply smiled, and yoinked her phone away. He already had the business card in hand, and before she could stop him, he had pressed the call button. She fumed at him and he pulled his tongue out at her, just as it answered.

“Hey, Joey!”, he cheerily greeted. “Say, what's the tallest a tow truck can get? Because we have a _big_ patient for you.”


	13. Caution

“We're going to jail!”, Leon shouted. “We're _soooo_ going to jail!!”

“Calm the fuck down, you idiot! We're not going anywhere!”

“But we killed him! We killed the guy, orange!! And now the cops are onto us! I don't want to go to jail, I haven't even had my first kiss yet!!”

“Will you kids _shut it!?_ ”, Joey groaned.

He stood up quietly, rubbing his forehead. Leon sighed in relief.

“We thought we killed you!”

“Ah, you didn't! But I nearly died from shock there!”

He dusted himself off, unable to take his eyes off the freshly-revealed Golden Condor. The mere sight of the beast has been enough to make him pass out, so much that Leon freaked out about how they killed him somehow. Luckily, he seemed to get better now.

“I can't believe it!”, he exclaimed. “I go in expecting a car, and you bring me a flipping pájaro dorado! What is this!? What- how-!?”

“It's a long story.”, Tina cut in, feeling the long chain of explanations she didn't want to give. “Let's just say it's a needed piece for the quest we're taking.”

“That's how we got here! Pretty nifty, huh?”

“How the fuck. How in the _fuck_ did you get this thing!?”

“Again, very long story.”

Joey approached the bird, mouth agape and eyes wide. It was obvious that he's never seen anything like this before, and was maybe thinking he was dreaming. He touched to the foot of the Condor, and warm metal assured him that indeed, this was all real.

“I can't believe it...”, he repeated, completely dazed. “A great golden bird…all my life I kept useless junk, and these kids bring me a frigging great golden bird...”

He caressed it like it was the greatest of treasures, his hand scrubbing off dirt from the Condor's shiny husk.

“How...how in the world can that be happening? Where did you find it? And- don't tell me it can fly!?”

“It can. But...not very well. We thought that maybe you'd know how to repair it.”

“Repair it!?”, Joey exclaimed with a nervous smile. “Kid, have you _seen_ this thing? Do I look like I know what it's made of, or how it runs?”

“Well, you're a mechanic, right? You know vehicles!”

“I don't know fucking golden planes! I can work on cars or trucks, but the biggest thing I've ever done is an eighteen-wheeler! Not a motherfucking plane!!”

“Wow, mom would definitely kill you if she heard you speak like that.”, Leon chuckled.

Joey sent him a dark glare that made Leon shudder. It was obvious the man was still not quite believing it all, and there were reasons. Many, many reasons.

“I'm not doing it.”, he said. “I'm sorry, I just can't. This is...this way outside the scope of my work, and I'm not doing that.”

“But you have to help us! That's what your role is in this story!”

“What story? Kid, have you _seen_ the size of this thing!? Have you seen how broken it is? You expect me to take care of it on my own? I bet you want it for free too, while you're at it!”

He grunted, looking at the Condor. It definitely felt out of place, in the empty industrial zone they've landed it in; a recluse enough rendezvous point that wouldn't get much attention. The bird was gleaming under the noon sun, its camouflage receded and its wounds open for all to see.

“Please.”, Tina insisted. “We need your help! We won't be able to make our journey over the ocean if Esteban is in such a state.”

“Wait. It has a name, too?”

“No, it's not- well, yes, sort of, it's complicated. But the point is that the Condor is wounded, it won't be able to go on forever.”

“I see that. But what do you expect _me_ to do about it? I know nothing about condors!”

“But you know about the Cities of Gold.”

Joey grunted, looking around the beast. He touched to one of the brown spots that tainted the metal around its tail, and it crumbled under his fingers with enough force.

“This thing's completely busted. Rusted all over the exhausts. Any car would be gone to the dump long before it gets anywhere near that state of disrepair!”

He tapped at the wound in its belly, and some soil fell off.

“Did you bury this thing? It's full of dirt! No wonder it doesn't work!”

“See? You know things. You can help!”

He sighed.

“I just…I'd love to help, kiddo, I do. But I can't. I don't know what it's made of, how it works, what are its parts. I don't even know where to start looking! How can I see what's broken, if I don't even know what it looks like when it's fine?”

“We could help. Esteban can help you too, I'm sure.”

“...even with that, it's going to be a lot of work. At a single glance, I can tell it's going to take me hours, maybe days! And if I don't have the right tools and have to custom-make them, that's even more money I'd lose! I can't afford that!”

Tina looked down, knowing it'd be true. The Condor was no simple beast, and they would never have enough money to pay for Joey's work.

“...what if we take you for a ride?”, Leon offered.

“A ride? In this broken-ass thing? I'm not risking it.”

“It's perfectly safe! Look.”

And he wriggled his medallion. Joey had no time to question it, for the beak was already opening up, shocking him some more.

“I'm not sure Esteban will be happy with that.”, Tina thought out.

“Bah, we'll ask him! Come on, you gotta see the interior!”

“Hey, don't pull me like that!”

Inside looked a little better than the wounded exterior. Leon took his usual seat, and the dashboard lit up.

“Sup, Esteban.”

_“...who's that? Is that the repairman you told me about?”_

“Yeah! Meet Joey. He's got a garage full of stuff.”

“...who are you talking to, kid?”

The man approached the dashboard, wanting to look it over, but a burst of light suddenly rushed out and blinded him. When he opened his eyes again, he was on the floor, and a hologram was looming over him with angry eyes.

_“What are you doing here!? You've got guts, trying to steal the Condor!”_

“What the fuck!? What's going on!?!”

“Esteban, calm down! He's not an enemy!”

Esteban blinked, and his hot light calmed down a little. He stepped back, and Joey crawled away in fear.

_“I'm sorry. I...I thought he was someone else.”_

“Dude, you have problems.”

“What the fuck is this thing!? What's going on!?!”

“That 'thing' is Esteban, and he's supposed to help.”, interrupted Tina, climbing aboard. “And he _will_ help, because this is in his best interest, won't he?”

_“I have a feeling you're trying to tell me something.”_

“Oh, do you now?”

She helped Joey get back up. Poor guy was obviously shaken, and likely a bit blinded too.

“I hope this is alright.”, she said softly. “He's not mean. He's just...a but traumatized.”

_“I'm not!”_

“This is definitely not what I expected. I don't do haunted vehicles, you know!”

“And you don't do planes either, so they cancel out, right?”

_“I tell you, I don't need repairs! I can wait until we get to China!”_

“Esteban, it's time you admit you're hurting.”

She put a compassionate hand on his dashboard. Again, a storm of tiny sensations came to her, too slight to be made sense of in their individuality, but enough in their numbers that she could get a somewhat accurate diagnosis of the Condor's state. And it wasn't a very happy one.

“You spent more than five hundred years buried in the desert, so you're definitely not safe. You'll now let the nice repairman take a look at you, and with a smile on your face.”

_“Why of all people that could look at me, does it have to be **him!?** ”_

“Hey, I'm right there, you know!”

Joey huffed, and went to leave.

“I don't know what's your deal, but if your plane won't be the least polite to me, I won't bother.”

He paused, realizing this was something he'd never expected to say. But then left. The cousins exchanged a glance, before Tina followed after him.

“I'm sorry. He doesn't mean it, he just...well, I don't actually know, but it's possible he thinks you're someone else.”

“Well how's that my problem? I look like I look.”

“And you look handsome. But you have to help us! You have to help him, even if he denies it!”

He sighed, looking away.

“This could be your chance!”, she continued. “You'd get to know about the machines of the people of Mu! The same ones that built the Cities of Gold! You know, the ones you've always searched?”

“I never said I did that.”

“Trust me, you don't need to say it.”

He didn't answer, but she saw the way he was glancing at the Condor. Temptation was in his eyes, and there was no hiding it.

“At least, you could help us a bit.”, she attempted. “Even if you don't know this kind of machinery, you know machinery in general. You could...take a look around, and tell us what needs to be done?”

He wriggled his mouth around, unsure.

“It's not that simple! How do I run a diagnostic if I don't even know what I'm looking at?”

“Esteban knows the Condor. It's been his body for centuries, I'm sure he knows how it works. But it's best we have your expertise on hand.”

He still looked away. Tina leaned in, grinning.

“And then we take you for a flight. Ever seen Mexico City from above?”

More mouth wriggles, more non-committal head moves. More of that avoidance that she knew meant he was caving in.

“And if we get some gold in these Cities, you'll have your cut. Promise.”

Wriggle wriggle, and eventually, a deep sigh.

“Ah, alright. Planes or not, I have bills to pay.”

“Excellent! Shall we get going, then?”

“Yeah, I just...I need to fetch my tools real quick. This will take a while.”

“I'll get lunch. I know that's not much, but that's the least I can do.”

He looked at her, and for some reason, chuckled.

“Keep your cash. There's not enough money in the world for what that thing's worth.”

She smiled at him, and returned inside.

“Well, guess we're settled! Esteban, best behavior.”

_“I still don't trust him.”_

“No one ever trusts doctors, but trust me, it's for your own good.”

He groaned.

~~~~~

“This can't do. This definitely can't do.”

What was supposed to be a quick check-up very soon started to spread over hours. From a simple diagnostic of the Condor, it had become a long session of cleaning, bewildering, lamenting and muttering as Joey made his way into the bird's machinery, every time coming out with more dirt that could ever fit in a space like this.

“Are you trying to build anthills in your pipes!? They're everywhere!”

Tina and Leon were covered in dust and sand, after helping him taking out broken parts and large clumps of compressed dirt from the Condor's bowels. It was a horrible mess in there, for many essential parts have been clogged up or damaged in some way, leaving the Condor deeply handicapped.

“Water damage here. It's oxidized all over, have to clean it.”

There were deep cuts over some of the parts, surrounded with rust that spread out like scar tissue. Esteban had mentioned something called a “sunblack beam”, and said it has been the cause of this damage. The orichalcum it left behind was brittle, not conductive of heat and prone to rust-like effects.

“That piston's busted, and this one isn't better. They're crumbled all over, they need replacing.”

A lot of wires were exposed, left to the mercy of the elements. They were sending threatening sparks flying whenever touched, and only worked when pushed together just right, like headphone cables. Several gears have been knocked out of place, some were stuck because of rocks that somehow made their way up there.

“I think I can fix that one. But that'll take a lot of grease.”

The wings were holding onto the Condor's body by a thread. They've been welded together by some sort of electromagnetic energy, after having been cut off by the Seila archeologists for ease of transportation. But the way they were set was rushed and definitely out of place, making the Condor permanently hunched on one side.

“There's a whole bunch of rust over there. That'll take a while to clean up.”

The radar antenna and computer systems were fine for the most part, but some functions have become unresponsive over time. Faulty wiring meant a lot of errors would pop out suddenly, or affect the clockwork negatively. Turning too sharply on the right would make one of the legs stuck, and trying to turn on extra reactor power would send the altimeter haywire.

“That might be due to water damage on the central unit. It might need replacing.”

The Condor's hull lost a bit of its conductivity over time, and didn't take in sunlight as efficiently as before. The battery cells were leaking some kind of acid that had dried up all over the interior, covering it in weird black goop that Joey refused to touch. All over, it was a pitiful sight, but it had to be expected from such an old machine.

After hours of work, the three of them stood in front of the Condor. They were dirty, tired and had breathed enough dust to make an asthmatic crowd have nightmares for months. The bird was surrounded in sand, debris, broken pieces and tools, but didn't look any better than before.

“...so.”, Tina said after a moment. “What's the result?”

“Not so bright.”, Joey sighed. “If you didn't fly here with it, I'd say there's no more hope. Almost everything needs repairing, and the whole stuff needs to be hosed down.”

“Do you think you could…?”

“Nope. Never. That's just too much for me, and I think I'm ready to give up. There's a limit to what I'm able to do, and I'm way too wise to ignore it.”

He picked up his tools, his back hurting from all the bending he had to do to squeeze himself in there.

“My whole sector is built on 'repair, don't buy'. But even there, there's a limit to what we can do. No one in their right mind would think of salvaging a wreck that spent so much time in a lake that the lake ended up drying up! How did it even get so much dirt inside?”

“Yeah, that's right!”, Leon noticed. “What _were_ you doing in a lake?”

Esteban, who's stood by for a good while watching them, said nothing. He turned his head away, and Leon frowned.

“We're trying to help you here, you know. So just tell us.”

 _“Nothing.”_ , he replied sharply. _“I...I fell in. Couldn't get back out.”_

Tina could tell from Leon's expression that there was something else to it. But she didn't know how to press the matter, so she simply went to help Joey pack up.

“So...do you think we could do it?”, she asked.

“Well, if you take it all apart, pressure-wash the whole thing and strip the rust...it could work, yeah. But you'd need a whole lake of water.”

“What about the broken parts?”

“Look, you said something about a magical bird factory in China or something? Get there. Even if you paid me all the cash I need, I physically wouldn't be able to make spare parts for this big girl. No one could.”

It made sense. She sighed, dusting herself off some more.

“In either way...thank you for your help. You can't imagine how much it means to us.”

“I think I can.”

He looked at the Condor. In the light of the afternoon, it was gently gleaming a pale white color, one that'd soon bring rain.

“I never thought I'd see this with my own eyes. And yet, here I am...that's pretty awesome, I won't hide it.”

“You...wanna hitch a ride?”

He shook his head.

“I wouldn't trust it. I'm sorry, it just makes my gut queasy thinking of it.”

“I don't blame you. It _is_ a wreck, after all.”

But a loyal wreck, and a faithful one. That ought to count for something.

“...so. You're really en route for the Cities of Gold, aren't ya?”

“That's the plan.”

“And your parents just...let you go on this trip alone?”

She didn't know what to say. Technically, her dad let her go to the museum exhibit, but he surely wouldn't approve of the rest.

“Let's say...they're not entirely aware of it.”

“That's going to be dangerous, kiddo. There's lots of risk ahead. Not everyone comes back from such a big quest.”

“It's alright. I trust the Condor.”

She looked up, looked at its shining beak and eyes.

“I accepted that I'd maybe never come back home.”

“Hey, that's dark for you. Don't say things like that, they might become true.”

She shrugged, not feeling like adding anything.

“I have the chance to do something of my life. I'm taking it.”

Joey frowned a bit, but didn't say anything, for he knew what she felt like. Hasn't he been in the same mindset, a long time ago?

“All I'm saying is...be careful with that Esteban guy. He doesn't look right to me.”

“That's because he threatened you, right?”

“Yes and no.”

He looked her gravely in the eyes.

“If that bird is really that powerful, it could have come out of the lake it fell in. I'm no therapist, but I think shiny boy has more hurt in store than he makes it seem.”

“What do you mean…?”

Joey looked around. Leon was busy sweeping dirt, Esteban had disappeared.

“I can't be sure. But for a bird like that to end up buried in the desert? That was no accident.”

“You mean...someone put it there?”

“Almost. We're looking at something closer to insurance fraud, if you get the idea.”

Tina rose a brow, not getting it at all. She looked at Joey, at the Condor, not knowing what to believe.

“...you can't mean…?”

“Yep. Birdy went for a swim, and didn't want to get out.”

The idea struck her as something particularly stupid. But then again...if the Condor has survived all this time, why would it suddenly break down? That didn't make sense.

“Esteban's not like that. And there's Killa, too, she'd have done something about it.”

“I don't want to think about how this guy ended up haunting that plane. But ghosts have to come from somewhere, right?”

That was true. She's never asked about it, but now she couldn't help but wonder.

“I don't want to imply anything.”, Joey continued, putting his stuff in his car. “But I'll just advise you to be careful. That guy...he ain't thinking right.”

“I'm sure he's better than that.”

Joey simply shrugged, and drove away. A little later, the clouds rumbled, announcing a storm.

“...we'd better get going.”, Leon said. “Let's find a safer place to hide until the rain passes.”

“Yeah. Let's be cautious.”

The idea still nagged at her as she made her way in. Under her command, the Condor sprung back to life, and Esteban's voice piped up.

_“Where are we headed?”_

“There's some empty areas east of town.”, Leon said, checking the maps. “If needed, we can spend the night there. The rain will give the Condor a needed wash.”

“East it is.”

She tilted the snake shaft, and the bird slowly took off. Light coursed over its body to shield it from view, and they flew away from here, in a torrent of warm air.

As she guided the Condor in the right direction, Tina ran her thumb over the gear shift, as if she were searching for something. The inaccuracy of her blooming gift didn't help; but amidst all the classical sensations of the Condor, there was a sliver of thought that stuck up to her like the prick of a nettle in the grass.

_That's nothing like life. That's torture._


	14. Questions

“What do you think even _is_ in the Cities of Gold?”, Leon asked, looking up from his tablet. “Is there like...riches?”

“It's more than that.”, Tina replied between two glances around. “It's supposed to be knowledge beyond anything imaginable.”

“So, like school? I'd take the riches. At least, gold pays the bills.”

“We're not doing this debate again.”

He rolled his eyes, and kept typing away at some game. Really, only little kids could be interested in pixels when there was such beauty to behold, Tina thought. Her paranoid doubts quelled, she returned her attention to the sea ahead of her, watching the waves gently hit the sand.

Evening was falling, and they've had to land the Condor; they've chosen a little beach in a touristic town, two hours away from Mexico City. A nice change of pace, if they could afford to take in the sights, which Tina was convinced they couldn't. But even she had to take it easy after a while, and agree that some of these places _were_ very pretty. She's never seen the sea before, and now that she's spent five minutes in front of this scenery, she wondered what all the fuss has been about. It was pretty, sure, but at the end of the day it was just water.

Though she did like the way it tickled her bare feet. Well, check that off her bucket list.

“Life's not all about riches. Sometimes it's more.”

“Money doesn't buy happiness, but it sure helps.”

“Stop talking like a spoiled kid. Enjoy what you have, dimwit.”

“What I have is a headache.”

He crumpled up the wrapper of some cold-cut sandwich she'd bought in a nearby gas station, and shoved it in a pocket of Tina's bag already full of random wrappers. She barely noticed it, busy as she was watching around for people coming this way. 

“Stop being paranoid.”, he sighed. “We're alone. What do you want to happen?”

“I don't _want_ things to happen. I'm just making sure they don't.”

Not far on the beach, the Condor's still-cloaked silhouette was overlooking the beach, water tracing the shape of its feet as it lapped past. No one's discovered it yet, and no one likely would. They'd be safe, the beach was closed off for the evening. It would be good, she thought. It'd all be good.

Out of habit, she checked her phone. As usual, no messages awaited her, and she felt some relief at that. She dreaded to think what kind of hatred would await her on her usual number, but preferred not to ponder too much on it. It could wait. It would all wait.

Since they could get some wifi from a nearby resort inn, she decided to check her social media accounts, and log out of them for good measure. Let's not betray her position, it'd mean bad stuff. However, as she checked them one by one, she ended up noticing something.

She's received a mail, on her otherwise empty inbox. And upon reading the first line, she rose a high brow. 

“...hey, stripeface. You might want to check this out.”

Leon looked up from his game, and leaned over Tina's shoulder.

It was a professional email she didn't know, and the whole thing was worded very seriously. No links or anything that could suggest a scam, only sparse lines of cryptic meaning.

_To miss Tina Foreman, keeper of the Golden Condor,_

_I would like first and foremost to congratulate you on your journey. To have gone so far on your own is an achievement few can be proud to accomplish, for its danger and peril far outweigh human expectation.  
I know indeed who you are; yet be aware that we mean you no harm. On the contrary, we seek to help you on your path, for such is the destiny that was bequeathed to us. My colleagues and I come from a long line of people in close touch with the legend you seek, and we believe we can guide you in the right direction.  
We would like you to meet us as soon as possible at these coordinates. There, we will be free to discuss in more detail. I will be happy to answer any questions you may have; do not reply through this mail, I will take your proof of reading as confirmation of the deal._

_Best regards to your endeavors,  
Pr. James Diaspro  
Department of History and Geography  
Institut Polytechnique Sablier 3_

Tina looked up, and the cousins exchanged a glance.

“…that's a bunch of bullshit.”, Leon scoffed. “What do all these words even mean?”

“Well, if I read right...guess we've got people that can help us.”

He scoffed some more, and sat back on the rocks of the pier.

“And now they're sending us emails. Where does that guy even come from?”

“That... _is_ weird. Where did he get my email?”

She tried to touch the screen to know more, but her gift didn't seem to work on virtual items. Nothing but muted sensations about her phone mirrored back to her, and she frowned. 

“I don't like this. Do you think we're followed?”

“We can't be. They'd come to us directly.”

She looked up the coordinates attached in the mail, and to her surprise, they led to a small town not too far from here; well, in Condor terms at least. If they left by daybreak, they'd be there before ten.

“...think it's worth looking into?”, she asked.

“Well...how do we know they mean no harm?”

She decided to look up the name that signed off this curious mail. A couple of university papers showed up, along with several mentions in news articles or other significant papers. There really was a Professor Diaspro at Sablier, which turned out to be some high-end French university. Something told Tina she's already seen that name: have they published a paper she's read for her research? It sure rang a bell, but nothing beyond.

“Perhaps that's not a coincidence. Perhaps...”

She read the mail again.

“ _We come from a long line of people in close touch with the legend you seek_...what does that mean?”

“If the Cities of Gold really are a big treasure, there's bound to be people knowing more than anyone about it. Maybe...they had descendants?”

“That's possible.”

People meant to help them. People that recognized her as the next in line at the commands of the Golden Condor. People that, like them, carried on the legend.

Maybe this was fake. But maybe...this was simply meant to be.

“Well...we've got nothing to lose, right? We've got the Condor. Big invincible buddy. We can make it.”

“I dunno...there's something odd about it. I can't place what.”

“Patterns acting up?”

“...yeah. I don't know what.”

She shrugged. Sometimes Leon's antics were funny to entertain; sometimes they weren't.

“Look. We can ignore it, or acknowledge they've got what we want. So we might as well go.”

He kept pouting a bit, but she ignored it. Curiosity had taken a hold of her now, and she'd hold it right back.

~~~~~ 

“I was promised a town, but all I see is a village.”

“We're in the countryside, did you expect 3G? Stop complaining.”

At least the Condor would have plenty of empty space to land. Not too far enough from town, she spotted a patch of vacant grass that hadn't been taken over by plants, and carefully motioned the bird to descend. 

_“Easy, don't push it. Let it come down.”_

Esteban let the heavy legs unfold, always with that broken cog noise. When they're done with this, they'll definitely give him a bit of cleaning, Tina thought as she nudged the snake shaft in the right direction. Luckily, the empty space made it easy to park, and the Condor landed without too much effort.

“There! See? I'm a pro already.”, she boasted in relief.

“I still want seatbelts. We'll definitely get seatbelts.”

“Maybe.”

There was nothing around but fields, plants and a dirt road that stretched on for miles. Esteban opened the beak, and the hot morning air welcomed them with a gentle breeze.

 _“Are you sure you'll be fine?”_ , he asked warily. _“Don't you want me to come with you?”_

“If they have bad intentions, it's best you keep the Condor warm and running. Cause we sure will be.”, Leon joked.

“Either way, you stay safe. We won't be long.”

_“...alright.”_

If he still had a neck, he would have nodded. The kids slid down the ladder, and made their way on the side of the road to the little Mexican village.

It was so quiet in here. Tina's almost gotten used to the rush of big cities, but everything would be different once again. At least they'd have time to see cars coming, since this road was awfully empty.

“Wonder what a university prof is doing in a place like this.”, Leon pondered, picking a plant off some bush.

“We're not going to meet them, dude. It's likely some team of theirs. I mean, it's Tuesday, there's got to be school.”

And by now, it'd be obvious the two of them wouldn't come back. She's already missed Monday classes, and by now all of her teachers would know about her runaway. Or maybe she was just being paranoid, and they didn't care. Nobody would care. It's not like anyone ever cared. Did it make a difference at all? She doubted it, but at the same time, she couldn't find in her the energy to ask herself. It was still too sore a question.

As they reached the little town, it was obvious it was a small village. Even Heighpeak had the luxury of paved roads, when it was right in the middle of underfunded Navajo territory. Was this all a trap meant to lead them somewhere they couldn't leave? No, it couldn't be. Whoever had called them here likely had better things to do. 

“So...we were given coordinates, but no meeting point.”, she said after a time of wandering the streets. “Should we go back?”

“Wait.”

Leon looked up, like he was smelling something. Oh boy, here go the patterns, she thought. 

“Check your mails.”

She rose a brow, but did so, using some remaining data. To her surprise, there was another mail from the same address. 

“...how did you-”

“Patterns.”

She groaned.

“That's not an answer.”

“That wasn't a question. You're trusting me, or what?”

Rolling her eyes, she read it through. Still in the same verbose style, they were told to follow a road leading out of town, to the remains of an archeological site not far. Well, at least it made sense now, but what were they supposed to do?

They could go on and see, she thought. No hurt in trying. So she did, and onwards they went, following the dirt trails. History didn't lie: soon the first traces of ancient constructions peeked out, in the form of stone walls and markers laid along the road. Heavy human presence appeared too, for the dirt was marked with tire tracks. Was there a significant site nearby? She wished they'd find it soon, for it was beginning to get hot around here. 

But in the distance, they could already see it. Cars parked around; tents giving some shade. There was activity going on, and this was likely where they were meant to go. Tina hurried along, Leon complaining behind, and as they walked forward, a strange sensation hit her. Gently, she touched to one of the stones, and a muted feeling answered her.

“This place is very old. There's...something about it.”

“That means we're in the right directions. The patterns don't lie.”

She nodded, but turned to him.

“Maybe they don't lie, but we will. Not a word to anyone about my things or yours, okay? They don't need to know what we're able to do.”

“They already know about the Condor, though.”

“Let's keep it quiet anyway.”

They made their way to the little settlement. As they got closer, they could see what would bring archeologists here: stretching for miles ahead of them were the remains of a stone city, that was now nothing but ruins. Still they could see the reliefs of walls, streets, temples flecking the earth like mushroom in the grass. This place had a past, and it became more and more obvious with every step she took.

It was obvious the people here were about business. When they noticed a couple kids coming by like it was no big deal, they tried to tell them off, since the area was closed off. Tina didn't really know what to make of it, since they were technically trespassing, but she knew they were headed in the right direction. So they stood back, watching people go about their work, prepping their equipment, with the anxious feeling of awkwardness that they weren't meant to be here. Cruel, wasn't it? Wherever they stood, they were in someone's way. She tried to justify their presence, to say something, but no could do; and it wasn't until a loud voice told off the employees that her anxiety calmed down somewhat.

“What are you doing here? This child is my guest. Leave her be, come on!”

The people eventually walked away, leaving Leon and Tina to the mercy of whoever seemed to be the boss. 

What a tall guy. He sure was imposing, and maybe this alone was what gave him might; for height aside, he didn't look anything mean. His glasses even gave him something of a nerdy look, and he was dressed for the field search like a tourist straight out of a stock photo.

“Ah, welcome, Miss Foreman, welcome!”, he greeted with a rough voice he tried to keep in check. “I take that you had an easy trip? And...”

His eyes fell on Leon, and his expression changed.

“And...you have brought a friend, I see. That isn't a problem! We can accommodate, yes...any friend of yours is a friend of mine, indeed.”

Tina rose a brow. Did they expect her to come alone?

“...who are you?”, Leon asked before she could say a word. “And what do you know?”

“Oh, well! I suppose I am bound to manners after all.”, the guy chuckled. “Professor Diaspro, at your service. I hope you will forget the cold welcome, we did not expect you so soon.”

“Wait. _You're_ the guy who emailed me?”

“You'll understand there was no other mean to contact you. Please, let's not stay in the sunlight, you children must be exhausted. Do come have something to drink, it is awfully hot here.”

Normally, they wouldn't follow strangers. But since everything so far has been going against the classical rules of life, what could they risk? Also, the invitation to some water was very hard to deny in this heat, especially since Tina felt stupid to have left her bag in the Condor.

Some minutes later, they were sat around a research table in the shade, sipping some bottled water. The archeologists have already mapped out the area, from what Tina could see; they were beginning to dig up the northwest part of the site. It was quite a big team, too, with lots of preparation; what could they be searching around here, besides Mayan temples? 

“I believe you owe us some explications.”, Tina said after a moment. “What are we doing here?”

“Ah, so many questions, so little time.”, Diaspro answered with a dismissive chuckle. “The eagerness of youth! The heat of passion! Truly both fuel and hindrance, as I have witnessed in my own youth...”

“...that's not an answer.”, Leon bluntly said. 

“Answers shall come in due time.”

He sat down facing the children.

“You cannot find what you're looking for by simply asking to see it. You have to go out, reach and find it. That is what we are doing by searching these ruins.”

With a grand gesture, he motioned around the site. Tina followed his hand for a moment, looking at some stone walls nearby.

“I have a feeling that's not the only thing you're searching. Here of all places.”

“How smart you are...but I suppose I cannot hide it anymore. Yes, our ultimate goal is to find the fabled Cities of Gold, like many have done before.”

Called it, she squinted. 

“Oh, do not think we are chasing for mere riches!”, Diaspro defended. “Our interest is purely scientific. The Cities of Gold are an essential part of the history of the world, and to uncover them is the lifegoal of our institute! I'm sure you know more than anyone what their discovery can bring to the world.”

Well...yeah. It definitely would change the world as they knew it. 

“And why would you need us? You've got all it takes. A whole platoon of researchers and money for all these shovels.”

“Money cannot solve everything, I am afraid. Sometimes, what it takes is a pure hand to lift the veil of mysteries.”

She squinted at him again, for wholly different reasons. He ignored it, and looked over the map on the table.

“I believe my colleagues will inform you more adequately when they arrive. For the time being, how about you take a look around? You have an interest in archeology, don't you, Clementina?”

“It's Tina.”, she sharply corrected. 

“Ah, all the same. We are already friends, are we not? Feel welcome here; I will spread word of your presence, so that no one disturbs you.”

And he got up. Tina just stared at him for another moment, not knowing what to think; but Leon and his lack of social filter piped in again.

“I wanted to ask. What did you mean by 'people in close touch with the legends'? That sounded weirder than...uh, well, that sounded weird.”

Diaspro paused, and thought his words for a moment.

“You see...legend has it that the Cities of Gold were guarded by an order of priests. These people knew its secrets more than anyone, and it is our place as heirs of the order to find them.”

Heirs of the City priests? That was as sorta-believable as all the rest, honestly. Diaspro left them on that, and the cousins exchanged yet another glance. 

“Things are moving our way.”, Leon grinned. “We're close. I can feel it!”

“...if you say so.”

She let her fingers graze the map, and felt the tiredness of a long sleepless night trying to uncover locations and mysteries. All of this was very weird, honestly; but wasn't that their new life now? At least, people were here to help them, and she could appreciate it. 

Still, a strange feeling lingered somewhere in her mind.


	15. Bones

“So what's that thing for?”, Leon asked for the fifth time.

“It's a caliper. For taking measures.”, answered the archeologist with an increasingly annoyed tone. “Don't you have anything else to do?”

“The prof said we were welcome here. So I'm making myself welcome.”

He picked up a random folder, looked through.

“What are all of these?”

“Important data! Put that down.”

“You're no fun. Hey, what's this thing?”

“Don't touch that! It's sensitive!”

“Is it like, a radiation measurer?”

“I said put it down, it's expensive equipment!”

“I'm not breaking it!”

He turned a dial at random, and the archeologist yoinked it out of his hand.

“Hey, you!”, he called out. “Get your brother out of here!”

A distance away, Tina didn't feel like entertaining his request.

“He's not my brother.”, she shrugged. “So that's not my problem.”

And so Leon resumed his mischief, for the simple goal of being a little shit. Honestly, it was as entertaining as could be in a place like this. But soon, she grew bored of his trolling, and returned to watching the excavation take place.

The team she was following had unearthed more stone steps, that would likely have led to some catacombs. The day was moving through, and they could get some shade from the nearby mountain as the sun carried on its course. Field work was extensive work, and nothing too exciting had happened so far, but Tina felt right in her element. She's been following one of the work teams, observing their work and their methods, compiling everything in her research notes. They didn't mind her, but largely preferred her relative silence and genuine interest over Leon's relentless, bored meddling. They've even let her help brush dirt off stone engravings, which felt like the highest honor she's ever been bestowed. How great was that? She was helping research! Perhaps Professor Diaspro's invitation was a good thing after all. 

The man's been pretty elusive. Being head of the project, he was very busy with the more administrative side of things, always busy with some phone call or report. Tina would have liked to ask him more questions about what he knew of the Golden Condor, but there just was no reaching him for the time being, so she'd need to be patient. Well, she supposed it could wait a little; in the meantime, she'd learn what she could, for this place had all sorts of interesting things about it.

“These carvings are very old.”, someone had commented. “They are unmistakably Mayan in origin, but they do not look like what we know so far.”

Everything had mysteries. Everything had secrets. Perhaps there was no way they'd ever be discovered.

Emphasis on _perhaps_.

When no one was looking, Tina approached the set of carvings under the pretense of sketching them. Making sure no one was around for now, she carefully grazed her fingers against the stone.

Immediately, she got a response. This wasn't a mere wall; this was a piece of art that someone had put time and effort in. An artist had poured their soul into these ideograms, and this was what she felt. A mere object had been given a sense of humanity, and it was reaching out to her.

She closed her eyes. She tried to let the things around her speak to her. Everything had a voice, when human touch gave it one; even cookie wrappers, even walls, even change. Everything carried a piece of someone's experience, feelings, decisions, and urged to speak it. These walls had been standing here for hundreds of years without anyone to listen to their tales; until she came, and listened to them, _expected_ them to speak. And so they spoke, and they all spoke at once.

The first touch was always overwhelming. Emotions pouring out, washing over her like a flood, words and thoughts and ideas that she couldn't make sense of. She managed to hold on, to not let go, to let it happen and make its way down her mind, even if she didn't understand. But then it calmed, once everything had told their story, and she could start the real work.

She had to focus for it to work again. She looked at the ideograms, gently traced the carving marks, tried to put herself in the shoes of whoever had created them. And slowly they came back, in a way she could make sense of them. 

It's a hot day. The dust makes her sneeze, it's getting in her eyes. She ignores this feeling, she keeps going. She can't afford to rest; rest is for the weak, and she has a task to do. She looks over her instructions, takes a step back to make sure everything is conform; in a glimpse, she reads the odd symbols she's just carved. Yes, it makes sense; everything makes sense. So she keeps going, never stopping, carving one trait after the other. She will do this. She will succeed in her task, for her task needs to be done. Someone has to do it, and it will be her. How she wished the master could reward her! But there was no stopping. There was nothing else to do now, she couldn't stop. Her people were not the kind to stop at anything, not even tragedy.

She blinked. Slowly, her hand drew away from the wall. Wow, that has been quite a feeling! But the need for constant work and that hunger for praise eventually made her doubtful, and she had to break the illusion when it started to go down emotional paths she wasn't ready for. That was...something.

The carvings! She looked up, and to her disappointment, she didn't get their meaning anymore. It all returned to being a bunch of ideograms. But somewhere in her mind, she still remembered it, like she's woken from a dream. Quickly, she tried to write it down.

This one...this one was “smoke”. Yes, it made sense: this sign here was the one for “fire”, and that little notch here meant something like “consequence”, and the consequence of fire is smoke. Already, it felt like she just remembered that grammatical rule, and part of the other signs became clearer. It was a puzzle! She'd work her way from what she knew, and slowly uncover the meaning of this message. It was a message, she knew so.

This symbol here was the one for “earth”. But it was different, it was drawn with a line around it. What did it mean when symbols were circled? She doodled the word for “fire” in a corner of the page and circled it, and already it changed meanings: “destruction”. The circle meant emphasis, so the “great earth” was...the planet? An island? The sun got in her eyes, and she held a hand up, noticing that the shade of the mountain had moved. Wait, that's it! “Mountain”! Another mental lock fell down, and it encouraged her to keep going.

She wrote down all that she found, trying out meanings until it made sense to her. She wasn't trying to decipher the message yet, but rather to understand how this language worked, so that the rest could come up intuitively. Sometimes she'd touch to the stone again, let it speak to her, and from whatever she could make out of it, she'd try to gain new insights. Soon she'd covered pages and pages of scribbled Mayan symbols, crossed-out meanings, hesitant sketches and notes. The more she worked, and the more obvious it became that this language borne the influence of the language of Mu. Some structures were similar, some rules were the same. Was this a coincidence? Very unlikely. In her work, there were no coincidences.

Maybe hours passed, where she was sitting in the dust and dirt, scribbling one sign after the other, muttering to herself. But in the end, she read the inscriptions again, and the meaning of each symbol appeared to her, almost as clear as a mothertongue; she focused, read it like it were but a page in a newspaper, and the bricks assembled themselves in her mind to form a coherent picture.

Smoke. Mountain. Glory. Light. Master. Path. Past. Treasure. Decision. Fate. Fortress. Past. Destruction. Battle. People. Tragedy. Destruction. Fire. Treasure. Past. Master. Light. Fortress. Earth. Hide. Death. Path. Darkness. Smoke. Mountain. Glory. Light.

…what did that possibly mean? She felt like she was missing something. She couldn't try to speak it in English, it was nearly impossible to translate. It was coherent, but not in a way she could explain. Like a picture in her mind that she couldn't produce on paper, she knew what she was after, but not in a way she could visualize it. She tried again, and the picture became a little clearer, but still not enough. This was awfully frustrating.

“Doodling away, huh?”

She turned around, and saw Leon had been here for a moment.

“I'm trying.”, she answered. “There's a meaning here I'm not getting.”

“Can't blame you. You can read these? Doesn't look like Mu language.”

“I...sort of can. But it doesn't make sense. It's just words.”

He looked over the wall, and shrugged. 

“Looks like some kinda cooking recipe. I don't see what's the fuss.”

“They wouldn't write a cooking recipe on a wall, dummy.”

“Well maybe it's a really good chicken recipe. I'd write it on my wall if I had one.”

She rolled her eyes, and resumed reading her notes. Leon was observing the work of archeologists not far, as they were trying to go down a just-unearthed staircase. 

“They're gonna slip.”, he muttered. “It's wet rocks.”

“It's dry outside, that can't happen.”

He said nothing, and watched. And indeed, a few seconds later, someone was heard slipping.

“There, see! I saw it coming. That's what happens when nobody listens to me.”

He scoffed.

“That just goes to show we're surrounded by real geniuses. Really, guys, all my congratulations.”

And he started sarcastically clapping, half-assedly. Tina rolled her eyes, looking over the wall, but as she did so, she suddenly noticed something.

She clapped her hands just once. Raising a brow, she touched to the wall again, observed the structure in which the symbols were laid, and then clapped again. A weird idea formed in her mind, and she tried to ignore it, but...oh, at that point, who cares? She had nothing to lose.

“Hey, stripeface. Can you keep clapping for a moment? Just like you did.”

Leon tilted his head, but looked at the other team, and resumed his sarcastic applause. 

With each clap of his hands, she read a new symbol. She had no idea how these were pronounced, but with every clap, she whispered a made-up word under her breath. She did it slowly at first, and then it got a little faster, and her voice naturally found a rhythm. She felt awfully silly trying this, but research work was often silly in itself.

She clapped along, marking a stress in her voice with each beat. And every word she stressed was an important one, a circled symbol or an emphasized one. The peculiar arrangement became clear to her, and she looked over her notes again.

“It's not a cooking recipe.”, she realized. “It's a song! A poem! It has...it has a rhythm, and meters!”

Leon opened wide eyes, looking at her then at the wall.

“And you can read it now?”

“I'll try. Keep going.”

This time, he snapped his fingers on a regular pace, and once Tina got the beat down, everything just flowed right again.

_In the Smoking Mountain, where the Sun shines its might,  
Our Master led the way, to where Heritage lays  
As our destiny guides us, we found the Gold Fortress  
And broke our way in battle, but tragedy struck down_

_The Heritage was lost, everything burnt away  
Our Master and our power, the Fortress all buried  
We ran and hid and vanished, our chance was now forgone  
In the Smoking Mountain, where the Sun shone its might._

It made sense. It all made sense now. This poem was a eulogy, and this place was a memorial. She touched to the stone, and that sad feeling she felt, she recognized as grief: everything was lost, everything was gone. These carvings were bearing the weight of a lost civilization, of a task that needed to be done: because it _had to_. These once great people have been reduced to nothing, and whoever was left had decided to leave a mark of their passage. Of their quest for the Golden Fortress, for the Heritage, for light. And the meaning of these words appeared to her, like a ray of sun in the clouds.

We were here. We were once great, and we lost everything, but we were here. This is our history: do not forget us. We were the people of the Smoking Mountain.

“...where the Sun shines its might.”

She stood up, feeling all dizzy with sudden movement. She looked all around the site, around these ruins overshaded by the mountain. This site of significance, the bones of what was once a great civilization. 

One that knew about the Cities of Gold.

“We're close.”, she said. “We're close to our goal.”

“Do you...know where it is?”

Her fingers traced the two symbols again. Smoke, mountain.

“I'm not sure. But something in this...it speaks of a mountain.”

She looked up to the horizon.

“Maybe it's this one.”

Leon stood on his toes, to see it better.

“The City would be there, then?”

“...no, it doesn't make sense. But if we go there, we might know more.”

“That is great news!”

She turned around, startled. Some archeologists had come back, and were now looking over the wall engravings. She hadn't even noticed them!

“So you're able to read this language?”

Tina felt her blood run cold.

“I...no, I can't. No one can.”

But they've noticed the way she was hiding her research notes. Quickly, her notebook was snatched from her, and the fruits of her work displayed for all.

“It does seem like you know it pretty well! And look at this- it looks accurate, too! Oh, you _have_ to share your discoveries with us!”

She tried to say something, but her words got muted in her mouth. She felt cornered, unable to do anything, for doing anything would be suspicious. So she simply nodded, and the researchers were more than happy to start copying her notes and examining the wall.

She stepped away, feeling guilty. Leon caught up to her.

“The fuck, oranges? You said we shouldn't say anything!”

“Look, I...I panicked, okay?”

“You panic too much. Grow a spine!”

She huffed, feeling piqued by this.

“You think I don't have one? Have you got _any idea_ of what kind of spine it took me to do all these things!?”

She showed the medallion from under her shirt.

“I'm a criminal, mind you! And I kept us alive during all of this, so I think I have a bigger spine than you think!”

“Okay, okay!”, he admitted, raising his hands. “Hide it! These guys might recognize it.”

She huffed, but did so. Let's not start admitting to any crimes in full hearing range. 

“Right. So, what do we do now?”, she asked. “We don't know if it's safe to stay here.”

“But we're here for a reason. You can read these things, and you've proven useful to these guys. Maybe they know more than they let show.”

She rose a brow.

“What, now you want to go along with them?”

“We get what we want and then it's out of here. You want to see the mountain, right? We'll convince them to check it out.”

“And _how_ are we going to do that?”

“...we'll find a way. Don't worry.”

She sighed.

“I don't feel this.”

“But we're close. You said so. So let's follow your gut, and the path will appear. That's what it's supposed to do.”

“Alright, alright. Let's do what the patterns say.”

“It's not even a matter of patterns.”

She sighed deeper, and went to get her notebook back.

~~~~~ 

Diaspro watched the children talk, letting their anger about something vent out. Kids were prone to their emotions, and couldn't make good decisions; but they wouldn't need to. He would do it for them.

The girl produced something from around her neck, and while he couldn't see it well from where he was, there was no doubt. A stray sunbeam made it glint into his eye, and that told him more than enough. With a smile, he returned to his makeshift desk, and took his phone. Things were starting to look promising, and that ought to interest some others.

“Greetings, Lisa.”, he said once it picked up. “You were right: our young guest has gotten her hands on the key. And it seems there is more to her than we thought.”

He looked over some papers taken from a folder. Newspaper clippings, reports, and some very interesting excerpts from a fellow professor's thesis. He let his eyes linger on them for a moment, assessing his thoughts.

“We will be heading east soon. I believe it is time we access the mountain stronghold. Do send me the pictures from Palenque, I think I will be able to have the murals translated.”

Such a golden opportunity was too stupid to pass. He would make sure to put whatever this girl had to good use.

Witches couldn't stay hidden for long, after all.


	16. Measures

The locals called this mountain the Smoking Shield. It was an extinct volcano that stood at the heart of the Yucatan as well as many legends, for it was rumored to hide a treasure deep within. It used to be surrounded by a thick and lush jungle, but the most of it has been cut down over the years, making it accessible by car. The land around it was covered in shallow grooves and canyons, still giving the crew some difficulty with entering the area; above-ground photos showed the earth looking like a shattered plate, that time had put back together like it could.

To be here was maybe one of the least likely things Tina would have thought to experience. And yet she was following the team that was entering the mountain, going through a cave carved by a dried out underground river. It was dark in here, and even the caving lights couldn't chase away all these shadows. Every little step echoed tenfold in this cave, every motion in the dark revealed a bat or a rat running away. The walls were humid, the ground slippery, and it smelled of stone dust everywhere they turned. But all the same, her heart was racing.

“This is so exciting!”, she whispered to Leon. “Just imagine what lies down there!”

“Nasty rats, that's what lie.”

She ignored him, as the rock under her fingers started to show traces of memories. This place has been inhabited, there have been people here! And they were coming close!

“The volcano had erupted at some point.”, explained the head of the team. “Most of these galleries have collapsed, and access to the inner chambers has been cut off. But through patient work, we've managed to open a way to the stronghold.”

Dynamite, the stones whispered. Explosions, fire, machines.

“I don't know why Professor Diaspro allowed you children to come with us. But it's got to be important that you see this.”

“Hear that, Tina? We're important. So important that we've got helmets on.”

“Everyone has a helmet on, we're in a cave. You're lucky to be included.”

She bonked him on the helm with a sound thunk. He pulled his tongue at her, since it didn't even hurt.

They turned into another gallery, and the walls changed shape. They weren't rough stone anymore, but mortar and carved bricks. Most were cracked and broken from the collapse, but their shape was unmistakable: this place has been inhabited. But that didn't make sense: who would choose to live in the heart of a volcano? The further they went in, the more she could smell something strange in the air, and feel the heat rising. They've got to be pretty deep underground already. All this dust was getting to her head like an old book's smell, and in her state of excited daze, she could feel the walls and even the air sound out with energy.

“What's in the stronghold?”, she asked after a time of walking.

“Most likely a ritual chamber. This place was a temple built into the mountain, and a well-defended one at that.”

“That smells of treasure.”, Leon commented. “Or old books.”

The gallery started to get wider. Once most of the team had crossed through the tight spaces between rocks, Tina felt it already easier to breathe. After a few more steps, they reached a wide chamber, one so tall that even with the ceiling caved in, she could feel the top of the mountain right above.

This place was littered with fallen rocks, debris and remains of what would have been constructions. But they weren't statues or altars; they looked even stranger than that.

“Are those...machines?”, Leon asked.

“It looks like so.”

Most were broken, torn to shreds by the collapse, but there was no mistaking their parts. Coils, panels, what looked like screens; what was all of this doing here?

“This doesn't make sense...”, he continued. “I thought we were in a Mayan ruin? What are these things doing here?”

As Tina was busy getting down to the lower level, he scooted away from the group, and got close to a broken console. Glancing around quickly, he pressed a random button, but obviously nothing happened. He giggled, and kept pressing them, making little “beep boop” sounds for the fun of it.

“Beep beep. Look at me, I'm doing rocket science.”

He snorted, but quickly got disinterested in the lack of reaction. And it seemed that everyone was disinterested in him, too; they were all busy over some carvings. Ugh, was everyone deciding to be boring today? The Mayans could have been astronauts, and these people were more interested in wall gibberish! He rolled his eyes, and kept going around fallen rocks, careful not to slip.

The light of his helm suddenly reflected into his eyes. Above his head, a large beam had fallen across the ceiling, but it wasn't made of stone or metal: it looked like glass, and was still holding together even though it was covered in cracks. What was that huge thing? The base of the pillar was out of reach, buried behind rocks. He looked at his feet to find a fallen shard, and picked it up; it was still faintly warm to the touch. The whole ground was warm, even though the air of the cave was chilly. That was...geothermy, right? He's learned that in school, it's what made the earth around volcanoes all warm. He tried to find more fallen glass, but the light stopped a few feet ahead of him. He stepped forward, slowly, and a gust of hot air stopped him: it was coming from a gigantic hole in front of him.

“Yooooooo.”

He picked a pebble, and threw it in. Its fall echoed for a moment, and it touched some ground after a time. He looked behind, to call for the others, but found himself alone. Ugh, great, they've forgotten him. Jerks. Well, he'd do it on his own, then.

It was stupid. He knew it. It was reckless, and nothing told him it'd be a good thing. But that was textbook Chosen One stuff, wasn't it? There was bound to be something interesting down this hole, and he'd find it. He didn't know why, it just...felt like so.

Questioning it would be pointless. Did people question why they were waking up in the morning to go to work? Did video game characters question why they needed to go forward in scary dungeons? Did anyone ever ask why ladybugs fly, why lions have claws, why death was a thing!? If everyone stopped to ask themselves questions like these, the world simply wouldn't go on. So he never questioned his own actions, his behaviors, nothing. If he had to do something, he'd do it; that was all the justification he needed. And even when he started wondering, out of self-consciousness or something similar, no earthly reason would ever come to mind. There's no stopping what needs to be done.

There was no stopping the urge to go down this tunnel. He could see the bottom of it, it was a sharp but feasible slope. He'd need to be careful, but he could go down there. So he put one foot forward, then two, then got on all fours to grab at rocks as he started his descent. He slipped down some dirt like a bumpy slide, and found out he could easily make his way down if he held on.

The heat was rising, and it was now like a hot spring day in here. When the slope eased down, he got up and tried to look around. The air was heavy, there was something strange in here. Could it be toxic gas? He held his sleeve to his face like a makeshift mask as he progressed further, trying to make as little noise as possible. This heat, this strange place, they were all waking the lion within him, and he could feel it take over. So he let it do so, and his pace changed to something more adequate, more princely. The cavity was getting larger, and he could stand without too much trouble. His face was beading with sweat, his heart beating fast. He turned off his caving light to ease the immersion, and found that there was some light coming from below. So he walked closer, crawled down to the source of the heat, and that's where he found it.

It looked...weird, to say the least. But even “weird” felt too weak a word to describe the contraption in front of him. It was shaped like a giant hourglass, made of glass and steel, with a big tube protruding from it. It was somehow active, shining a fake-looking blue light and radiating so much heat that he thought he'd pass out. Yet no foreign smell was telling of toxic gas, and his skin wasn't melting; still, he kept on his guard as he came closer, tiptoeing down the cavity. The stone all around the device had molten, still bearing signs of its liquid state, like butter grazed with a lighter flame. Yet the device didn't seem especially dangerous.

He tried to touch to it, and the glass tube hurt his fingers. He quickly withdrew his hand, finding with disappointment that nothing had happened. No vision, no feeling of anything, none of the cool stuff Tina could do. He huffed, feeling it to be a failure of his part as a lion prince. Shoving his hands in his pockets, he met more sudden warmth: the piece of glass he picked up earlier was getting all warm and glowy. He brought it closer to the hourglass, and it shone a bit brighter, like it was reacting to it.

There was no doubt. Whatever this device was, it ought to be bound to the legend somehow. Everything here ought to make sense. He knew it. He could feel it.

“Maybe we don't realize how close we are.”, he whispered to himself.

Doubt struck, and he pulled his medallion from under his shirt. He held it up, hoping for a reaction, but nothing happened. No big magic, no sudden illumination. And to be fair, it sucked.

He was meant to be here. This heat, this machine had guided him. It was no coincidence that the lion prince in his soul had woken up at this very spot. It was _meant to be._

“You're going to wake up.”, he said. “You're going to do your thing, and show me what it is you led me here for!”

But nothing happened. Leon frowned, the pretense of his tail swiping the air nervously.

“I said, do your thing!”, he repeated angrily. “Don't make me hurt you!”

And again, nothing but slight humming replied. This was starting to be annoying! Why did nothing ever go the way he wanted it!?

“I am the Chosen One, and you will do as I say!”, he roared, barring his fangs.

In an impulsive and stupid manner, he kicked the hourglass thing so hard that the noise it made echoed throughout the whole cavern. His foot immediately winced in pain, and he fell on his butt with a snarl and a feeling of uselessness. For one moment, the machine shook, and he feared it would explode right in his face; but instead, it broke into parts.

“...oh fuck.”

He stumbled onto his feet, trying to regain face. This definitely wasn't what he had in mind! A piece of the metal cylinder had fallen down in a scrap noise, and he picked it up as best as he could. The whole thing was radiating with heat, and it wasn't the lightest ever. He tried to put it back in place, to make up for his stupidity, but that's when he noticed it.

Like a car's engine, the inner parts of the device were now exposed. There was a small row of dials and buttons on one side, and a sun-like emblem he recognized. Right below it was a little coin slot, like on a vending machine.

Heh. See, he was right!

He took the coin off the socket of his medallion, and slipped the moon in the slot. Immediately, the machine activated, and the humming got louder like a computer getting to work. What was going on? Was it going to explode? He stood with bated breath and watched, as the device hummed and vibed for a minute; and then, it calmed down, and the mechanism got released. Leon blinked, waiting for something else to happen, but nothing followed. He shrugged, and fetched his pendant back, making it whole again. Nothing had changed about it, but it did feel hot.

“Did I...activate something?”

It didn't seem like so. If a reaction had happened, then it was an invisible one. He stared at the thing for another moment, then decided to head back. Let's not stay in here forever; even though the heat had receded to a bearable level, it was starting to be creepy.

Painfully, his ascension started. Climbing back out the tunnel wasn't a piece of cake, but it wasn't the toughest thing he's done yet. Though he did end up covered in dirt by the end of his climb, which lasted a good ten or fifteen minutes.

He heard people calling for him. Oh, nice, he was starting to feel forgotten. He casually walked back to the group, like nothing had happened, and was met with anger.

“Where were you, kid!? We've been searching for you! Don't you know how dangerous this place is!?!”

He just shrugged. Tina looked at him, disappointed as all heck, and he simply held her gaze.

He winked. She blinked. Her expression softened, and after a glance around, she winked back with hesitation.

“Right. So, shall we continue the tour?”, he exclaimed like it was no big deal. “And this time, I'll stay close. Look, I'm holding Tina's hand. I'm holding it.”

“...he's holding it, guys. And I'm not letting go.”

The crew sighed in annoyance, but this seemed to please them enough. Out of care to give, they continued forward, and Tina shot Leon a glance of interrogation.

“What were you doing?”, she whispered.

“Exploring. Why, isn't that what lions do?”

Ah, right. He's forgotten to switch off his power mode. He took a deep breath, during which absolutely nothing about him changed, but that was enough to put the lion in his soul back to sleep.

“There we go. Let's save our power.”

“I swear, you and your edgy games.”

He didn't answer, thoroughly used to nasty criticism. But to each their secrets, and he had his own.

“Whew, who turned the heat up? It's so hot in here.”

“It's as hot as before. You're just being irrational.”

“Says miss psychometry. Anyway, what did _you_ do?”

“Translation work for the most part. They showed me some pictures of texts they've found here.”

She touched to a broken device, and did that little shudder thing again. Envy rumbled in Leon's gut, but he shushed it back to sleep.

“And what did they say?”

“I don't know for sure. They were just pictures, I didn't get anything but stray meanings.”

She turned to him.

“But we're close. We're close to our goal.”

“Yeah, I know. I felt it too.”

He looked away, and she rose a brow.

“...all's fine?”, she asked.

“Yeah. Why wouldn't it be?”

He held back a sigh.

“Let's just keep going. This place...there's something creepy about it. Whatever destroyed this stronghold...”

He thought back to the device. To the molten rock all around it, to the collapsed galleries.

“...maybe it's still there.”

“I doubt it. But the Cities are full of surprises...who knows?”

“And there's all this...”

He waved his hands around his face.

“It's so hot. Maybe there's...radiation going on?”

“You mean, like nuclear radiation? What could cause it?”

“...I don't know. But this place wasn't built in a volcano for nothing.”

He looked at the gigantic crystal pillar above them.

“It looks all so complex...and yet it's so old. It's like the Mayans were building rockets or nuclear power plants.”

“I doubt it's the Mayans. It's the people of the Smoking Mountain, remember?”

They did mention a fortress in their eulogy.

“What could have destroyed this place? Do you think it's some experiment gone wrong?”

“What could they be experimenting on?”

He thought back to the molten rock. The complicated device. The heat, the dangerous heat. The fire of the poem.

“...weapons?”

“...what could they use weapons against?”

“Well, they have a stronghold, and they built this place...wasn't for friendly reasons, I'd bet.”

Tina looked around like she was doubting it. But this possibility couldn't be dismissed.

An open pathway led the group outside, near the volcano crater; from there, they had a stunning view of the landscape around them. The cracked ground, the aching forest, and even the excavation site they've left a few hours ago. Truly a breathtaking sight, like those they've seen from the Condor.

“You think Zia and Tao have also seen these places?”, he asked after a moment. “They've searched this mountain, too, and...discovered something?”

“I don't doubt it.”

From there, they could see a whole chunk of the jungle, the fields, the strip of road in the distance. If they squinted, they could even see other ruins, more villages, and all sorts of little things they couldn't name. The Cities of Gold were close, right close...what if they could see them from here too?

Leon held out his arm, and raised a finger like a painter taking measurements. The excavation site was distant, so small he could barely see it, but he held it right over his thumb, trying to gauge how far it exactly was.

“Children, come back.”, someone said. “We're going down.”

“I will, I will.”, Leon answered. “Just...just a moment.”

Slowly, keeping his hand at the same level, he turned around and observed the horizon. When he turned ninety degrees, his thumb was now almost right under another site in the distance.

“...what's that over there?”, he asked. “More ruins?”

Rather than trying to fetch one of the archeologists, Tina pulled out her phone. Reception was very troubled here for some reason, but she's saved an offline map of the area just in case.

“It's another excavation site. This one's been closed off for a while.”

Leon looked over the map. A thought struck him, and he zoomed out to check.

“That's where we were right before. And...this is the mountain we're in.”

With his finger, he traced a line from the excavation site, to the mountain, to the closed ruins. An almost perfect right angle.

“Check this out. They're aligned.”

“Makes sense. Even in ancient towns, cities would be built like a grid.”

Maybe this did make sense. Or maybe there was something _else_. He zoomed out again, and moved a little, letting his brain keep the lines going. Where they met to form the fourth angle of a square, another site of significance was standing.

“There! What's this one?”

He tried to see it in the distance, but it was too far.

“That's...the Las Piedras statues. They're a tourist attraction.”

“That can't be a coincidence.”

She raises a high brow.

“What, that they form a grid? Look, I'm willing to admit a lot of things, but this is a bit too far-fetched. You can get the same results with basically any town or place, especially in the middle of Mayan ruins!”

Leon sighed.

“When will you understand that things are _not_ coincidences? Sometimes, they happen in a way that means they _have_ to happen.”

He searched his pocket, and showed her the piece of glass he found. Without waiting for her, he put it in her hand, and closed her fingers around it. She tried to say something, but suddenly froze, and her eyes got lost in the void. She smiled, an empty yet accomplished smile, like her biggest dream had just been fulfilled.

“I am proud to be a humble instrument of the survival of our people, Master.”, she whispered like she was reading from a text. “The Olmecs will survive thanks to you.”

But then, that smile disappeared off her face. Her traits got frozen with fear. She started to tremble, staring ahead, her fingers clenched so tight around the piece of glass Leon feared she'd hurt herself. It lasted for a few seconds, after which she broke out pretty brutally, and almost fell to her feet.

“There. Believe me now?”

She blinked, and looked at him with remains of terror in her eyes.

“This place...it's not a temple. It's a _power plant._ ”

“Oh, who'd have known!?”

He pretended to be surprised.

“Whatever these people...the Olmecs did, and I think I know what, it destroyed this place. And they used Mu technology to do it. That proves we're on the right path!”

“They wanted to use the Heritage's power.”

She pulled out her research notebook, flipped some pages.

“There. The poem says it was lost in the destruction of their fortress. Could it be...the Heritage is what caused it?”

“Power gone wrong.”

Leon watched the horizon, mentally tracing the four angles of the square.

“They found the Heritage in the City of Gold. They brought it here, tried to used it, and destroyed the whole place. I've seen the thing, it looked heavy as all heck. It can't come from far.”

The mountain. One corner. Other corner. And the last corner, far in the distance. He held his thumb up again, trying to see it, but only met the slight wavering of the horizon. He looked to one corner, then to the other. Then slowly moved, to hold his arm in the exact middle.

“Did you know that sailors could use the sun and stars to know exactly where they are?”

“You're a sailor, now?”

“Not really. I just thought it was a cool trivia.”

He took off his pendant, and slipped the disk off its socket. Then, he held up the moon as if he was trying to grasp the horizon in its curve. Closing one eye, he looked through it like a scope, until the sun hit the patterns _just right_. He moved it down, parallel to the ground, and it now embraced a piece of land in its crescent.

“There.”

He lowered his arm. Even then, the spot was unmistakable. There was something _right_ about it, something satisfying like a good math equation. It was right in the middle, right in the center of the imaginary square.

“This is where the City of Gold lies.”

“It looks like an empty spot.”

“And that's _exactly_ why no one found it yet.”

That was smart. He was smart. He was a genius.

“We've got to get back to the Condor. This is best kept between us.”

“What about Diaspro and the others? We can't just leave.”

“Well, we can't let them find it either! Imagine if there's another reactor in there? One false move, and all's ruined.”

Indeed, it was blood-curdling to think about. Guess there was no choice, then.

They were so close. Their goal was right there, and they could almost _touch it_.


	17. Darkness

By the time they came back to the site, evening had fallen. The sun was setting behind the hills on the horizon, and the air was starting to rapidly cool down in that fashion of the desert climate. The darkness of the otherwise empty area was chased away with electric lights, and the peace of the Mayan ruins troubled with the meddling presence of humans. It seems that there was still work to be done after sundown; yet that didn't quite reassure Tina. 

If they were to act during the night, Esteban would be asleep. The Golden Condor would be unable to fly. And she had reasons to believe Diaspro's team would be keeping a watch on the two of them, if only out of common sense. Since night was falling, they've been instructed to stay at the camp until accommodations could be made for them. And so, under the light of a flickering yellow bulb, she was sitting and waiting.

She wasn't sure whether to trust him. After all, how did he know about the Condor? How did he find out about her? Wasn't he questioning where their parents were, what they were doing so far from home? Even if his story about the priests of the City and their descendants made sense, it didn't ease her wariness by much, if at all. Was it wrong of her to think it strange?

She did distrust Joey at first, too. The guy wasn't very reputable, and had shown an interest in the two of them that was normal to find weird; but he's helped them, and been good to them. And he didn't ask about Killa or the Condor, accepting it altogether along as his fate as helper. Either he's been showing a lot of trust, either he's been doing a lot of meth, but in any case he's helped them.

Diaspro, on the other hand, was a strange case. She's tried to ask him questions, to know more about what he and his team knew, but he's been awfully evasive. Always busy with something, it was like he's brought them here for no reason. If he found time to email her twice, why didn't he simply tell her then what she needed to know? Why bothering with getting them here at all costs, if he didn't even meet them in person? 

Did he simply want to show them around? Show the ruins, the mountain, and the pretty landscapes of the Yucatan? She doubted it: no one could ever be so nice. Not to them. Not to her. There _had_ to be something under all of this, and she'd find it.

She couldn't get to rest, not with her troubled state of mind. So she decided to have a little walk around the camp, under the innocent guise of wanting to clear her head. The air was chilly, and she tightened her jacket a little around her shoulders as she walked.

The hunt for samples has been great, as she could see. The team she's been with today had brought back some pieces of machinery from the Smoking Shield stronghold, and they were trying to examine them. Others were going over maps and prints, as if planning their next expedition; some were idling around, showing Tina a less exciting side of the life of an archeologist. They were speaking in tongues, hunched over tables, almost whispering to one another like secret agents. Intriguing. 

She tried to find Professor Diaspro, but as always, he was busy with stuff she didn't understand. It would be logical that a university professor wouldn't have much break time, even during a business trip; yet if he's found time to call for her, he'll find some to answer her questions. And she was very keen on asking them all.

When she came to his tent, she found it empty. She knocked like she could beforehand, and waited outside for a good ten seconds before coming in, only to have her hopes let down once again. Bothersome, really; but what did she expect?

Oh, well. Guess she'd have to help herself to answers, then.

She pretend to walk around aimlessly, waiting for him. Innocently, she peeked at a map she could see on the table; there were plenty of markers around the Smoking Shield, but none in the direction Leon had pointed. That means they haven't found the location of the City of Gold yet. Carefully, she let her fingers graze the markers, and each of them had something to whisper to her.

Interesting ruins. Glyphs. Remains of walls. Strange metal structure. Gem vein? Curious statue. Amongst all these bits of thought, she found many that led her elsewhere: references to documents, other maps, stuff she didn't know about and that didn't ring any bells. But the more she looked, and the more these bits pointed to the various folders scattered around the work area. 

She could snoop around, yes. But she didn't want to lose Diaspro's good graces by looking into his work. Maybe all of this was purely archeological research that didn't concern what she was looking for, and she'd just waste her time. She looked at the map another moment, doubtful, before sighing and stepping away. 

As she did, her pinky grazed against a pile of papers. Immediately, a powerful thought came to mind.

_–hidden in our society, they are most of times not aware of their own capabilities. However, they can prove dangerous if left unchecked, since–_

Since what? She didn't want to linger here, but now that feeling just now got her wondering. Peeking around for any signs of a presence, she dug through the small pile until she felt it again, and extracted the document from the rest.

It was a bunch of quotes and paragraphs taken from some paper, if she were to believe the style and extensive quotations. Unlike handwritten books, mere print didn't carry a lot of...huh, she wasn't even sure what to call it. Well, whatever it was, it ought to come from the text itself; and reading it through quickly, she did notice it was full of passion.

There were pieces of stories, of tales from ancient times and all over the world, commented and annotated by the author. Colonialist reports on indigenous shamans, verdicts about the victims of the Salem Trials, studies on people from recluse geographic areas, accounts of the lives of some rulers she's never heard about. And all throughout the in-depth commentaries, the stories, the comparisons, one thought remained clear and persistent.

_Witches._

They've been everywhere, found in any place and era. Wherever and whenever you looked, there would be people able of strange feats, unexplained skills and many more that went far beyond the scope of human comprehension. Healing. Telekinesis. Time manipulation. Foresight. Weather control. Alteration.

Psychometry.

The more she looked into it, the less it felt like a coincidence. And the more her worry grew, the more she felt like she has been led on. Her presence here wasn't a chance event: it was deliberate. They didn't want to answer her questions, they wanted to _use her_.

“It seems there is no hiding anything from you.”

She jolted and turned around. Diaspro had returned, and she didn't even notice him!

“You should put these down. Some of these documents are important, you know.”

His tone wasn't angry, but she knew better. She knew what he was about to do!

“You're not getting away with this.”, she threatened, hissing between her teeth. “I know what you're planning to do!”

“Oh, do you?”

He simply scoffed, and sat down very casually.

“And what do I want to do, exactly?”

“You want to...to use me. You're not researching witches on a whim, are you?”

He looked at her, a brow raised. But then, he simply took off his glasses, and aid back in his seat.

“Clementina, my dear. What in the world makes you think that?”

His casual tone took her aback. Where she was nothing but tension and apprehension, he was as relaxed as could be.

“You...you know what I can do, don't you? You didn't bring me here for no reason.”

“And what about it?”

He smiled a little.

“I have to admit, that learning about your...ability has been a surprise. But then again, hasn't the Chosen One always been able of great feats? Why, my interest is purely scientific.”

He read over a copy of the report that she's dug from the document pile.

“As members of...this great secret, it is our task to help you. But as scientists, we have the duty to understand what endeavor we are taking. Oh, rest assured– we are all sworn to secrecy, as always. Yet we believe that this might be the best way to help you.”

Slowly, Tina dropped her guard. Very slowly.

“...you won't try to...to use me? To make me into a lab rat and run tests on me?”

“Goodness, child! Why, do you take us for cruel monsters?”

He looked genuinely offended by such an idea.

“Human experimentation is highly inhumane! We have long moved past such domains! You are our guest, not a guinea pig.”

He rubbed his forehead a bit.

“But...”, Tina hesitated. “You asked me to read these photographs and stuff, earlier!”

“Indeed, we have _asked_ you. Your participation is strictly voluntary, and while we believe your skills can help us, they have to come from _you_. Have you not wanted to assist our expedition? Well, here is a task tailored to your abilities!”

He was right. She felt a little jerkish right now, and very awkward.

“This research I am conducting only aims to understand what you can do, so we do not ask more of you than you can do. I believe you do not have much experience with it either, do you?”

“...no, sir.”

“Then I am doing the both of us a favor. While I am in the secrecy of the old legends, I am not privy to this domain; I simply asked a colleague of mine to send me research she has already conducted on the topic.”

He smiled.

“I was done reading it, anyway, so I suggest you take a look at it. See? As a token of my good faith, I allow there to be no secrets between us.”

She looked down at the documents she was holding. _Analysis of the Myth of the “Witch” and its Significance in Contemporary Culture_ , the title read. Published by the Institut Sablier, as shown by the little hourglass-like logo. 

“...I'm sorry.”

“I understand, child. I know of your circumstances, and how difficult it can be to trust people you have never met. Yet I too am a History professor, and I do believe it is your favorite domain, is it not?”

She nodded, not really knowing what to say. 

“I knew inviting you to this expedition would please you. Do you like archeology so far?”

“I have to admit it's...pretty nifty.”

“You went with with the team that explored the Smoking Shield today, did you not? Do tell me about it.”

“It was nice. We...we went into the stronghold. Seen some Olmec ruins.”

“You have? Why, do tell me about it.”

She shrugged. What was there to tell? She grazed her fingertip on the papers, found nothing but a lot and a lot of science.

“...Leon fell in a hole. We searched for him a long while.”

Diaspro chuckled at that, with a slight delay to his reaction. As if he wasn't too sure of what to say to that.

“Well, if it keeps up I might have to send your parents an insurance form. We wouldn't want anything bad to happen to you, do we?”

“I hope not.”

He chuckled again at her attempt at humor. 

“I reassure you that we don't. Now, run along, young lady; if you excuse me, I still have a lot of work to do.”

“Right. Good night, sir.”

And she absconded from here.

Her heart was still beating. Ugh, to say she's been caught like a newbie! She's robbed a museum, and yet here she was! What a disgrace. What a fool!

Leon was walking outside as well. Having nothing better to do, she walked to him; he was toying with the piece of glass he found in the stronghold.

“Back from annoying all the people here?”, she asked. 

“What do you mean, annoying? They love me.”

He held it up to the light of the moon, and it refracted on the ground in pretty patterns.

“They adore me. They admire me. They want to shower me in praise and gifts, and not you.”

“Keep it. I don't want any praise from them.”

“Pfft. You're just jelly that I'm useful and you're not.”

She squinted at him, and picked a random twig off the ground.

“My powers tell me this is a dangerous murder weapon.”

And she swatted him on the head with it. He only snorted at that, barely feeling it.

“If anything, you can take them as well.”, she continued. “They're putting me at risk. Diaspro knows about them.”

“Really? Are they gonna turn you into a lab rat?”

“Life's not like in movies. This is illegal.”

She looked at the papers she had in hand. 

“Today's not the time of witch hunts anymore. They wouldn't use me, or...or sell me out or anything.”

Leon looked at them too, then at her.

“But that's still shady. How do they even know you have weird skills? And...”

He blinked.

“How do they know about the Condor? About you? Did they...did they know we'd come here? Cause it does sound like they were expecting us.”

“It does.”

“You sure you've never met these guys before?”

“Never. But I think I've heard of them.”

She looked at the quotations again. Institut Sablier, read the sources.

“They're a big French university or something. I think they're the ones that financed the Seila excavation, if I recall correctly.”

“And Diaspro's a professor there. That does explain how he knows the Condor...but that just makes it weirder! We...we _stole_ the thing, and he's chill about it? He didn't even ask about where it was!”

“…he didn't.”

Tina blinked. 

“He says he's sworn to secrecy or something...but he _did_ call me 'Keeper of the Condor' in his mail. Even if he knows it was stolen, how could he know it was me?”

Her heart picked up the pace.

“Did he...did his team spot us somewhere on the road? We've never been spotted, though! We've done all we could to stay low!”

She had no criminal record of any kind, so she couldn't have been identified at the museum or when they stole the Condor. She's been in a stranger town where no one knew her. There was _no way_ anyone could have recognized her!

“You think Joey has sold us out?”

“What? He'd never! He's a good guy. And I don't see him hanging with professors anyway.”

It's true that it was hard to picture Professor Diaspro's perfect vernacular converse with Joey's bits of broken English. But still, it didn't sit with her.

“If it's not Joey, it's got to be someone working on Seila. But why? Do they really...only want to use my powers?”

She looked at her hands, dumbfounded. And Leon straightened up.

“Isn't it obvious? They're looking for the same thing as us. And since we're the Chosen Ones, they want us to find it.”

“They didn't say anything about Chosen Ones. They didn't even know you'd be coming!”

“Do you want to wait around until they know?”

She blinked.

“What do you mean?”

“I mean that something doesn't sit right with them. And we can either wait to find out, or find the City's entrance before them.”

That took her aback.

“What??”

“We know where it is, right? And we've got the keys. We can go right now and come back before anyone notices we're gone!”

“You mean- _right now?!?_ In the middle of the night!?”

“It's not that late.”

“Fuck no. We're _not_ wandering the Mexican wildlands at night, without a map or any battery left! It's way too dangerous!”

“Pfft, what are you afraid of? Olmec big bad wolves? Let's just get Killa to light our way.”

“Dude, I know we've done crazy things, but this is taking it far. This is way too risky and I'm not putting myself in danger. Let's just wait until morning.”

Leon huffed.

“I don't think you're grasping the situation. Whatever these Sablier guys are planning, it's got to be linked to the City. If they find it, it might bring trouble to the world!”

“Wh- what makes you say that!? It's archeology! It can only benefit the world!”

“That doesn't mean I trust them.”

He stared right at her, and for a moment, she could feel it; this whatever in his eyes, that in the darkness of the falling night felt like those of a beast about to strike. 

“I don't know what they want with us, but it's not good. We have been entrusted with a mission, and I won't let it fail because of them.”

“What mission? Nothing is forcing us to do this. We're after the knowledge of the Cities, remember? So are they.”

“Why do you think there's secrets in this world? Why do you think unicorns are hidden, Atlantis has sunken and the Falcon King's chamber can't be opened? If they want to reveal the secrets of the Cities to the world, then they're not as sworn to secrecy as they pretend.”

She frowned, starting to feel impatient. 

“You're not making any sense. Secrets are meant to be revealed! Why do you think cryptozoology is a thing? Why do you think historians spend years decoding ancient texts? Why do you think the legends led us here?”

She looked down at her hands.

“Why else would I have the power to peek into things, if not to reveal their secrets?”

“These secrets are powerful. In the wrong hands, they'll cause destruction! Do you remember the Olmec stronghold? They tried to steal from the City, and look where it led them! You've seen it.”

She's seen it. She's seen the remains of a memory, the sight of everything as it broke down and collapsed right in front of her. In this piece of crystal, a person's last moments have been saved, and she's had the horror of reliving them. She knew first-hand what would happen if she took a wrong step.

But she couldn't stop. Not when she was so close. Not when she was so far.

“...I have to do it.”, she simply said. “The Cities of Gold are calling for me. They're calling for us!”

She gazed at the horizon. She couldn't see them, not in the darkness nor in the distance, but she knew they were there. Hidden. Buried. Waiting. 

“What if this what Sablier _wants_ you to do? You'll lead them right to it!”

“And? They'll help me get there safely. Lead or not, they can't enter without my key.”

“It's not your key.”

Leon frowned at her.

“It's Esteban's. He let you use it, but don't forget _I'm_ the one who's got our great-grandma's medallion. I think I'm more qualified than you to know what to do or not with the City!”

“Wh-!? Where does that come from, now?”

He stepped forward, and she couldn't help but step back. He sure looked scary in that instant!

“What danger there is out there doesn't bother me. The real danger is what will happen if we let these people find the treasures of Mu! We must not let them find it. So if you want the knowledge you seek so much, it's now or never. Darkness or not, Olmec beasts or not.”

And on that, he walked off. She stared at him for a moment, dumbfounded, before following as he walked away from the camp.

“Where are you going now?”

“To find the City. It can't be far.”

“You'll get lost!”

“Then come and use your gift to guide me!”

She groaned.

“Let's go get Killa first, at least!”

She didn't give him a chance to say no, as she grabbed him by the arm and yoinked him back to her. 

“Chosen Ones or not, we're _not_ wandering in the dark.”

She mentally retraced their way back to the Condor. Follow the dirt path, then...towards the village, follow the main street, and out into the fields. That'd be quite a walk, but they could manage. 

“We're wasting our time.”

“Our time will come! Now you either come with me, or I feed you to the tigers.” 

“There's no tigers here.”

“There will be if I call them. I'm a witch, I can do that.”

He snorted and called bullshit. 

“I call bullshit.”

“Call it, then. I'll call my tigers.”

She dragged him away from camp, onto the dirt trail through the woods. Follow the Mayan stones, back to the village. At some point, she let go of his hand, and Leon grabbed the papers she still had, to read them like he could. He shook his piece of crystal around, and it emitted a weak light, enough to read.

“Witches are a thing, huh?”

“That's apparently what they're called.”

“Think there's others?”

“There's got to be. It's just not serious enough a domain to be extensively research.”

“I thought Sablier was the big guns of research?”

“They didn't get those guns by studying magic.”

Magic. It felt wrong to call it that. It just did. 

“Think they too are witches? The Sablier guys. Diaspro and co.”

“...I don't know. I don't think so.”

It was way too weird to imagine other people being able of things like these. But it was entirely possible, and she didn't know what to make of it. Though it wasn't necessarily bad: it made her feel part of a big secret. Like a member of a private club, where even Leon wasn't. Even though he claimed to be, what with his lion prince shenanigans.

At this point, she just didn't know.

The streets of the small village at night felt unsafe as all fuck. Leon tried to light the way with his piece of Olmec glass, but it had just about enough power as a glowstick, which wasn't enough to see in front of them. At least they still had some moonlight to make out the streets and houses, but they were still in an unfamiliar setting, in a town they didn't know, away from home and with no phone battery.

Cities of Gold or not, there was so much unsafe stuff at hand that even the treasures of Mu could not be worth it.

Yet they weren't down on their luck just yet. After a long walk in the dark, the silhouette of raised wings appeared beyond the road. Tina started running, and nearly tripped on roots and ditches doing so, but she was there: the Golden Condor, asleep where it had landed. She couldn't help a smile form on her face, as she rushed to the beak and put her hands on it.

“Esteban? Killa, anyone? You're awake?”

It took a moment, but as the moonlight shone on the bird's wings, some of it dripped down its feathers. In a cloud of white fog, Killa's form slowly rose, slithering their way like a silent ghost.

 _“There you are!”_ , she exclaimed. _“I was worried when you didn't come back!”_

“We're sorry. But we've found so many great things! We- we have-”

“Can we continue inside, please? I'm freezing...”

Killa sighed, but opened the beak for them, to give them some hideout from the cold desert wind. Tina didn't think she'd miss that dusty smell, yet here she was.

 _“You kids better have a good explanation.”_ , Killa followed. _“Where have you been all day?”_

“We've followed Diaspro's team. We've explored the ruins around here.”

“We found an Olmec stronghold! Look!”

Before Tina could continue, Leon held up the piece of glass. Killa touched to it, and her light refracted through it like a prism.

_“Where did you find this?”_

“It was part of a big glass structure. Look, it glows when I shake it.”

_“That ought to be an ancient mechanism. It reacts to my light.”_

Any mirror or crystal would react to light, honestly. But Tina believed her. 

_“Have you found what you needed?”_

“Well...we found people that claim to know about the Cities and their legend.”

“Or so they claim. I think they're not as legit as they'd like us to believe.”

_“Did they wear robes, perchance?”_

The kids blinked in confusion. Killa realized that, and looked away.

_“Nevermind.”_

“I don't know about robes. But they did say they were part of...an order of priests, or something.”

“They don't look like priests to me.”

“Well, duh! They wouldn't dig up ruins in monk robes.”

“So maybe they _do_ wear robes?”

“They're professors, not monks! Ugh, this is stupid.”

Killa simply watched the discussion between the two of them, not knowing what to make of it.

_“In any case, you have done well coming back. It would have been dangerous to stay.”_

“Yeah...I hope they're not too angry with us leaving.”

He looked out the glass pane.

“Did they not see us? I mean, it's dark outside, but...”

Tina stood up from her seat, and went to look in turn. So far, it didn't look like they've been followed.

“See? They trust us.”, she said. “Maybe they assumed we've gone back to town for the night.”

“Doesn't sound very responsible of them.”

“What, you'd have wanted them to follow us?”

“Don't question my criticism.”

He went to get his bag, and searched through the mess to fish out a candy bar, tossing her one as well. 

_“What is your plan, then?”_

“We think we know where the City is. With your help, we can get the Condor there at sunrise.”

Killa thought for a moment.

_“I believe I can take off before full dawn. But I will need to focus all of my energy on flight, which means I cannot assist you with piloting. Are you sure you know the right spot?”_

“I'll remember it.”

She didn't look too convinced, but said nothing.

_“This will be a risky endeavor. You two will need to be very careful.”_

“We will. Don't worry, I know it's dangerous.” 

Tina looked up.

“But...it's kind of what we have to do. As Chosen Ones, and as people.”

She wasn't sure of what that meant, but on the spot it sounded good to say. She sat down on her seat, eyes turned to the moon, deep in thought. What would happen, when they get to the City? Would they just open it, take a look around and leave? Or would they find something deeper there? She wasn't sure, and anxiety made her gut squirm. She wasn't sure whether she'd like to find out, afraid as she was of screwing things up.

But such was her goal. Such was what she needed to do. As a Chosen One, as a person, as a witch. 

_“You will walk in the footsteps of your ancestors. It is a noble goal.”_

For some reason, that thought made Tina smile. She glanced at her bag, where she kept Tao's book, and she didn't even need to touch it to feel that strange connection yet again. 

Their footsteps, huh.

~~~~~ 

“What do you mean, they're gone!?”

“It's the truth! They were right there, and then not!”

“How did you let a couple of kids out of your sight? Really, I wonder what I am doing with idiots such as you!”

Professor Diaspro rubbed the bridge of his nose, thoroughly annoyed. 

“Maybe they're still near? They can't go very far...”

“I sure hope they cannot! Yet that is no excuse to ease surveillance! Find them quick, and bring them back. We need them alive and well.”

He sighed, and turned away from the spectacle that was the incompetence of his staff. Why did so many recruits of the Institut show such signs of stupidity? It was beyond him. It eluded him. He couldn't possibly fathom any reason why anyone could be so dense and useless. Why couldn't they be more like him, who has always done the best ever possible? Clearly, _clearly_ he was out of his element in this place.

Yet as he returned to his worktable, this feeling was quick to dissipate. His pocket buzzed a couple times, and he picked his phone with a hint of dismay. Oh, great; it was _her_. He tried to cleanse his tone of fatigue as he answered, always with composure and professionalism.

“Professor Diaspro speaking.”

“Oh, James, what a _pleasure_ it is to hear from you!”, the voice happily trilled. “My, how cranky you sound! Has your day been unwell?”

“On the contrary. We have deepened our map of the Smoking Shield stronghold, and gathered more samples. We were about to send them for analysis.”

“Very well indeed! And– I don't suppose Lisa's little friend has joined us yet?”

“She's here alright.”

He thought back to this morning. Clearly, Lisa had put his expectations high, for they've been quickly deceived the moment he laid eyes on that little girl. He didn't expect her to be so...hm, how could he say it without sounding rude? He expected something else, to put it simply. Worse, she wasn't alone, and this definitely was an added hassle. But he put up with it, since he needed her help.

“Very well, indeed! Did she pass our little test?”

“I haven't had the occasion yet to do it. But I believe she has what it takes. And she's got the key as well.”

“Perfect, perfect! Did you get to see the great golden bird?”

“I didn't. I sent someone to look for it today, to no avail.”

“Make sure you find it. We still need it.”

“How could you even let it be stolen? Is it not the size of a house? And yet such a frail child managed to take it away!”

“She was not alone.”

Oh, great. This again.

“When can I expect your arrival?”, he asked to change the subject.

“This morning. My plane just landed, I will need to hit the road very early. Again, had I not been held back, I would have arrived much sooner.”

“As long as you come, it will suffice. Bring your tools.”

He hung up, and laid back in his chair, sighing. 

So close. They were so close to their goal, and yet they needed a child's help. But it would be worth it all.

~~~~~ 

Morning had started to rise beyond the horizon. The first rays of sun were peeking out behind the hills, but the stars hadn't completely vanished yet. Birds were chirping, and Tina couldn't help yawning; it was still very early. It was somewhere between night and day, somewhere Esteban and Killa could both be awake, sharing thoughts within the Condor's engine while they could. The bird was warming up, taking in as much light as it could while Tina struggled to stay awake. 

“We're so close.”, she mumbled to herself. “We just need to get there.”

She pressed a button, and the dashboard revealed a series of Mu numbers. She had more ease recognizing them, enough to know that there was some battery charging going on. 

What would she do once she gets there? There was nothing in the spot Leon marked but more plains, trees and cracked land. Could a legend really stand here? She doubted it, but she wanted to believe in it anyway. Legends thrived on belief, and it was needed to make them real. Such was the deal between imagination and reality...or something along these lines. She wasn't there when the contract was signed. 

_“Tina? We're ready.”_ , Killa's voice peeped. _“We'll enter energy saving mode, but you'll be able to fly.”_

“The weather's clear, but there might be some clouds later. Will you be fine?”

_“I'll take care of clouds.”_

She didn't know what to do with this cryptic reply, but decided to ignore it. For now, she ignited the engines, and the Condor started to shake. 

“Ah, crap. We won't be able to cloak, can we?”

_“Let's hope we don't fly over inhabited areas.”_

“We likely won't.”

Everything was pretty clear. Slowly, the Condor took off in a cloud of grass and dust, weakly lifting its heavy body off the ground. Its wings laid down, trying to compensate for the slow speed as it tried to reach flight velocity. Needless to say, it'd take some effort, but she trusted it.

She trusted this big bird. They could do it. They would do it.

With all this shaking, Leon eventually woke up, and after some grumbling took his seat by her. He yawned loudly, and looked out the window.

“We're there yet?”

“Wh- we just- oh, forget it.”

Northeast, wasn't it? She could see the mountain in the distance, she'd just need to follow the right direction.

“Just do your pattern thing and help me.”

“Mh. Open up.”

She pressed a button, and the glass pane slid up, letting in the cold air and morning sun. Leon yawned, got up, and then took his moon pendant to gaze at the rising sun, at the mountain, and the land around like a sextant. Frankly, she had no idea at all of what he was doing, or even if he was doing anything at all. Maybe it was luck, maybe it was legit, or maybe he was just messing with her.

“Get to that road, over there. See the crops?”

“Yeah.”

“Go in this direction, then straight up. That won't take long.”

She did so, relying on the Condor's compass to get the direction right. 

“You're really able to guide me with this trick?”, she asked, unable to hold it.

“Kind of. It's hard to get the angle right, and the landscape has changed a lot with time, but...it's like there's a logic to this place. It wasn't built at random.”

Likely not. She knew enough about the genius of the Mayans and their mathematical prowess to figure out the rest of the thought. She pushed the snake gear shaft, and the Condor moved forward.

The warming wind blew in her face like she was riding a bike, and it woke her up. She went to close up the glass pane, but decided against it; this feeling was something she'd never experience again, and she liked it. To fly like a bird, her hair in the wind, looking for a lost city, how cool was that? Cooler than anything, she'd bet. And she'd make sure it lasted. 

The Condor built up some speed, gliding through the air over farm plots and tiny roads. The world was just waking up, and everything was recovering its colors. Leon was looking around with a deep focus, looking at lines and grids and patterns Tina had no idea about, and somehow from all of this knew where to go. It was likely some bullshit story, that he was making up to mess with her, but she'd give him the benefit of the doubt.

For now.

Light was rising. She kept guiding the bird towards the road, then towards the fields. Towards the trees. She could see the site in the distance, the mountain, and even the Las Piedras attraction if she looked behind her. The fabled city ought to stand right beneath her, but there was no sign of it.

“...are you sure we're here?”

“We should be. Try to land.”

It'd be complicated. Most of the terrain was rough and shattered, and covered in woodland. She began descending, and the Condor trembled. Anxiety grasped at her heart, and panic almost made her lose her hold on the commands, but she managed to stay steady. It'd be a rough landing, but she'd manage.

The bird trembled again, shaking this time. Her heart skipped another beat, and she decidedly did not feel very reassured. 

“Killa, think you can bring us down?”, she asked.

No answer. She rose a brow, pressing a button at random. 

“...Killa? You there?”

Nothing. The Condor shook for a full second, its wings trembling, and she saw the sun emblem on its dash flicker. Before she could understand what was going down, the light disappeared, and the Condor suddenly shut down.

And it went down indeed.

The stability of their hover was ruptured by the sudden descent of their fall, gravity catching up and winning over the weakened engines. 

She tried to push the Condor's feathers, but the commands refused to work. She tried to close the window, to change directions, but nothing seemed to work. Without she could hold it back, a scream left her mouth, followed by Leon's shortly after. The bird's head was heading down like a dart as they fell, unable to slow down or change course, and it all came down too fast for her to do anything about it. 

Then the Condor hit the trees, and everything shook around her. She barely remembered to grab the seat in time to not be swept away by the impact, as branches and rocks whipped away at the already broken bird. Leaves and debris fell into the cockpit, all over them, and she buried her head in the dusty seat to try not to get hurt. Somewhere behind her, Leon was still screaming, trying his best to hold on as the ripples of the fall echoed through the Condor's body like an earthquake. It seemed to last for an eternity, during which she wasn't sure whether she'd make it out alive at all, and the rough landing sent her almost flying back. And then, after the noise and the tremors died down and hell stopped raining on her, she was still too frightened to move. It has been so sudden, and she was sure she got hurt; she felt like every bone in her body had broken. But if she could feel pain, then it meant she was alive; slowly, she opened her eyes, and tried to assess the situation. 

“...Leon? You're there?”

“I think I'm fine...”

He was curled up on his seat, amongst leaves and branches and dirt that had slipped in. Slowly, Tina uncurled very carefully, like she expected more damage to happen. 

“Killa? Are you there?”

 _“I'm so sorry.”_ , Esteban's voice answered. _“We...we tried to switch in mid-air, like we usually do. But something went wrong.”_

Tina managed to uncoil, but not to stand; she was trembling too much. She held onto the dashboard, her legs shaking like crazy.

“Something went wrong? We almost died, here!!”

_“Trust me, it's not enough to kill you. I know it first-hand, this Condor did cause my death.”_

“Wh- that's not reassuring at all!!!”

_“Sorry again.”_

He popped out of the dashboard, and looked around. The Condor had fallen in a patch of trees, and looked pretty roughed up; but apparently, nothing had broken more than usual. 

_“We're good. We'll be able to take off after we recharge. Are you two alright?”_

“I think I died.”, Leon whined. “I can't feel my legs!”

_“At least you're still alive enough to complain. Come on, we've got to go!”_

And he casually burned away at leaves and branches around the Condor, trying to free an access. Tina managed to stand up, still feeling pretty bruised, and held onto her seat with bouncing knees and trembling hands. 

Well, this was bound to happen. But she'd definitely sue the Emperor of Mu for not putting seatbelts on his vehicles.

“Really, I think I broke something. My neck feels all weird!”

Tina managed to step closer to look it over.

“Probably whiplash. It'll pass.” 

She helped him get up, and after a few tries, the two of them managed to step out of the Condor and find solid ground again.

“So...this is the spot, yeah?”

They were at the edge of the woods, facing what looked like a tilled field. The ground all around was covered in deep cracks and ravines that had trouble healing like the rest of the landscape. It was like drought had taken a hold of the place, even though everything around was still verdoyant enough. 

Tina stepped closer, letting herself slip down a dirt slope, and her feet touched to hard soil. She looked down, and touched the ground: what she thought to be clumps of dirt was actually closer to chunks of tar. 

“It's...molten. Molten stone.”

The more she looked, the more she saw it. Everywhere, all around, was this weird hard dirt colored like asphalt. Where fields would have traces of grass or wild greens germinating, there was no such thing here, only craters and canyons. This place simply looked dead, like a meteor had crashed it and infected the ground with salt. Nothing grew here, because nothing _could_ grow. 

She kept walking, careful around these cracks. Something had split the earth in two, and poured lava all around to form this weird obsidian-like stone. Hard to imagine that anything of significance could have stood here! She touched to the ground again, trying to sense something, but was met with absolutely nothing. 

Her heart sunk in her chest.

“This can't be. We've got to have it wrong...these can't be the Cities of Gold!”

Leon looked around as well, still holding his neck. Carefully, he crouched down, examined the ground. Closed his eyes. 

“We have to believe the impossible. We have to believe in ourselves.”

And he opened them again, in that dramatic fashion that meant he was “powered up”.

“We have to see the unseen! To walk where no one has walked before!”

“That can't be. We must have missed something.”

“No, stupid. This isn't the way.”

Esteban, who was following them distractedly, rose his head. 

“This _is_ the way.”, Leon continued. “We are the Chosen Ones, oranges.”

“Well not for long, if that's what this quest is about!”

“Don't you understand? We've got nothing to doubt!”

He smiled, and looked at the gigantic crevice in the middle of the crater. Suddenly, he grabbed her hand.

“Nothing at all.”

And he started running towards it.

“Wait! What are you doing!?”

Tina called, but he didn't stop. He ran even faster, dragging her behind without she could slow him down, until he was at the edge of this gaping earth smile; and then, right at the edge, he leaped forward and made them both fall into darkness.


	18. Protection

“You can open your eyes now.”

It took Tina a good moment to do so. She was still trembling, everything feeling dark and uncertain. Her feet hadn't touched the ground, and yet she couldn't feel the speed of the fall anymore. Hesitantly, she opened her eyes, and was met with the darkness of a cave; light still shone from above, and it was quite a height too. Did they really fall all this way?

The light was getting away, as they were still falling. She looked below, and saw the ground coming closer, yet it was so slow she barely felt it. Had time slowed down somehow? What was going on?

“I...I don't understand.”, she mumbled, confused as all heck. “What's happening? Why aren't we falling?”

“We are.”, Leon answered, still holding her hand tight. “But the City's protecting us.”

Their feet touched to the ground after some seconds, delicately put down by some force that had slowed down their fall.

“Protecting us?”, she repeated, confused. “Why?”

“Because we're meant to be here. If this place was expecting us, why would it try to harm us?”

He let go of her hand, and looked around. They've fallen at the bottom of the crevice, so far down that the light barely came to them. Yet from there, she could see Esteban's glowing silhouette looking down the depths.

 _“Are you alright!?”_ , he called.

“I think so!”

Slowly, his light descended the crevice, slithering between the shadows until it came to them. She blinked at his arrival, but could see the illuminated path ahead of them.

_“That was quite a fall! How will you get back up?”_

“Everything in time.”, Leon replied. “I guess you're coming with us?”

_“I...I don't like being so far away from the Condor. It's still hurt, and you don't have a vessel to carry me in.”_

“What's the worst that could happen to it, where it is? Here.”

He held up the piece of glass.

“That's compatible with Mu tech, right? You could use it.”

Esteban touched to it, dubious, and the light of his fingers refracted all over the cave walls. The rock was shimmering in parts, like it was covered in glitter; there were flecks of gold incrusted all over the cracked stone. 

_“I suppose it will do. Now, we have to find a way out...”_

“We could go forward this way.”, Tina suggested. “That's basically the only path.”

“You heard the witch. Let's go.”

And so, the three of them set forward, Esteban lighting up the path.

Tina's heart was racing. They were so close to something, and while she doubted it might be _the_ City of Gold from the legend, she let that faint hope carry her steps. Her destiny laid somewhere at the end of this path, beneath these stones, beyond these chunks of golden metal. Her casual touches to the walls of the cave revealed nothing so far, but she could feel it growing, expanding, like the breathing of a gigantic dragon slumbering within the depths of the earth. They were close, and she didn't know what she would do if they were to actually find something. 

Esteban seemed to sense her nervousness, for he turned to her between two steps.

_“You seem troubled.”_

Tina raised her head, not knowing what to say. 

“Yeah...I just wonder what the City's like.”

She blinked, recalling something.

“Wait, you've been there, right? How...how did you feel, that day?”

Esteban looked aside, floating aimlessly like he struggled to remember.

_“...confused. There was so much going on, I don't recall it all.”_

“Yeah...I can't blame you.”

She tried to squeeze herself down an opening in the rocks, which wasn't very easy. Everything was rough and brittle here.

“Think we're getting close?”

“We ought to be.”, Leon thought up. “We've walked a good while...it's got to be somewhere!”

“What if it was destroyed?”

_“It can't be. The Cities never get destroyed. They simply hide, and wait for the right moment to reappear.”_

But what if? What if they were to be destroyed? It could entirely be possible, and she knew so. She would never forgive herself if that were to happen, even though she'd have nothing to do with it.

Yet her worries were not in vain. After a time, the texture of the ground changed: it was flatter. They were walking on tiled floor. The walls also showed signs of difference.

_“I...I remember this place. We're moving in the right direction!”_

“We are?”

Esteban effortlessly progressed through cracks and openings, and the children struggled to follow. But once that hurdle was passed, they saw that they've now entered a partially-collapsed hallway. Architecture! They were drawing close!

“This way! I can feel it.”

“You're saying that because the other way is closed off, you mean.”

“Tsk. Never underestimate the power of me sensing things. I thought we've agreed on less skepticism?”

“We never said anything like that.”

The golden light shone on dusty ornaments and decorations laid all over the walls, almost like a path of light slowly revealing itself to show them the way. And so they walked, avoiding fallen beams and rocks, getting dust and dirt all over them, scraping their clothes and hands on the rough stone, but they walked. Every step, every breath brought them closer to the door, the one that stood still despite all these years, and they did so until Tina's nose picked up something other than the smell of dust and old copper.

The scent of old books.

Esteban's light could barely move fast enough for her. Before she knew it, she was running towards the gigantic aisles, facing the absolute heaps of books and scrolls stored away in this room. Part of the ceiling had caved in, but the huge shelves had stopped most of the damage, preserving all the tomes and volumes kept within their cases and drawers.

“...this is it.”, she whispered. “The library of the City.”

Everything was so old, so dusty, so untouched. Her mere presence felt like a sacrilege, an intrusion into this place that was meant for minds much greater than hers. She looked at her hands, scraped and dirtied from all the wandering into these earthquaked halls, and a sense of shame washed over her. Could she truly enter this sacred knowledge? 

Leon caught up to her, and Esteban lit the way. They looked at her, and Esteban seemed to sense her hesitation, for he put a warm hand on her shoulder. 

_“Well, here we are. The ancient Muan knowledge you wanted from me.”_

And he nudged her towards a shelf. Hesitantly, she reached out to a scroll, and immediately the weight of all that was contained within overwhelmed her. She managed to ignore this feeling, to unravel the first bits and to focus on what she wanted to see; already, her feeble knowledge of the Mu language was enough to decipher some of the glyphs written there. This was a treaty on politics; she touched to another scroll, and this time it was a compilation of judicial verdicts. She touched to more, grazing them every time in a sweep of dust. A series of reports on harvests around the country; a proclamation of new laws and edicts; a powerful speech on the spirit of ethics in sportive competitions; a summary of the latest Assembly of Knowledges. Every single one of these books was a tiny piece of a big puzzle, one that contained the history of these people: a society that had stood, lived, thrived. A society that she has always felt a deep bond with, one she couldn't explain until recently. 

This was the history of the people of Mu, and she was one of them. These people were _her_ people; she descended from their last two descendants, and now it was her turn to bear that mantle. 

Her cheeks felt wet. Was she crying? She hadn't even noticed it. She felt Esteban's warm embrace surround her as he tried to comfort her, and Leon's hand pressing on hers. 

“...I'm sorry. It's just...a lot to take in.”

_“It's alright. We have time. I had promised to take you to the City, and here you are.”_

She nodded, wiping her tears away. Leon looked around, trying to see in the lack of light.

“This...doesn't look like a City of Gold.”

_“It's merely an antechamber.”_

Esteban moved a bit, walking towards a door she didn't even notice. A large door surrounded by tall pillars, richly decorated with gold and gemstones.

_“Here's the door that leads to the City of Gold. If you put your medallions here, you can open it.”_

Leon wasted no time. He walked up the stone steps, looking around the decorations until he found the little notch in which to put the disk of his medallion.

“Well, good thing we broke into the museum.”, he commented. “We need both.”

“Yeah...I suppose.”

It all felt so strange that these events lined up perfectly. Was it some machination of fate? Or did Esteban simply know that they'd need both medallions to open the door, and that's why he pushed Tina to steal it? That made sense, but...not enough to her liking.

“I still wonder. Isn't it weird that one of us inherited one of the keys, and the other was led right to it by chance?”

_“There are no coincidences. Some things are just meant to happen...we don't know why, we don't know how, but that's how it is. Maybe this is all part of a prophecy.”_

“You mean, we were fated to find you?”

Esteban nodded, smiling. But something in this didn't sit right with Tina. She turned to Esteban, dubious.

“You mean that...you were fated to die?”

His light flickered for a split second. 

_“I...don't see how that relates to you two.”_

“But you said it. If you hadn't died, then...maybe our great-great-something-grandparents would never have ended up together, and Leon and I wouldn't have been born.”

Leon caught up to the thought, and turned to Esteban with a slight shock on his face.

“You mean we caused your death??”

“No, that's not how it works. It's the other way around.”

_“It's nothing, alright?”_

She noticed he seemed annoyed, but was trying not to show it.

_“It's fine. We all have to die someday. And...yeah, maybe there's a relation here, but I'm aware of it and I accepted it already. Let's just get done with this and move on, alright?”_

She wished she could believe him. But it didn't feel too right.

“Are you sure you're fine?”

_“Of course I am! Why wouldn't I? I've been dead for so long, I'm basically nothing but fine!”_

His light started to ripple in a flame-like manner, which she knew was a sign that he wasn't as fine as he pretended. There was no need to be a genius to know fire was dangerous. 

“...you know, we can talk about it. We can...help you.”

_“Help me? That's stupid. I don't need help.”_

He scoffed and turned away, in the manner of very bad liars. 

_“I'm fine. I'm perfectly fine. I don't need to talk of my death. I made peace with it, truly! I'm...I'm fine.”_

He wasn't. But what could she do about it? She didn't want to press him on, it'd only wield negative results. So she simply nodded, and turned her attention back to the door.

She glanced at Leon. He took the coin off his medallion, and she did the same. They counted down, and on three, pressed their disks into the notches on the door. Then, they took a step back, and watched it unfold.

It was slow. That door hasn't obviously been opened in centuries, maybe more. It creaked as it gleamed, sparked as it moved, and she feared it'd somehow explode. But she tried not to show signs of being unworthy. She's gone all this way, done all of this and more, just for the honor of being here. If the universe had truly chosen her, then it was her role to accept it with dignity. So she stood straight, like she was passing an inspection, and the door slowly opened on its own, revealing the treasure it hid behind.

It felt as if she had never seen true beauty before this instant.

~~~~~ 

The blue Twingo parked in a less muddy corner of the site, as everyone started to nervously panic from the mere sight of it. With a sure pace and a slight hurry, the professor stepped out, only to be met with mud on her boots and people flocking to her.

“Come on, now.”, she said, waving a hand around. “It will all wait. Now, where is James?”

It was still early in the morning, but Professor Diaspro was already at work, busy pondering over the children's disappearance. However, he found some relief in his colleague's arrival, raising his head in relief when he saw her.

“There you are. I hope you had a good travel?”

“It could have been better. Now, spare me the details, and tell me all you know about the great golden bird.”

Professor Desvilles sat down, discarding her long burgundy coat on her chair like she owned the place. And in a sense, she did: she was the main financier of this expedition, and everything had to be run by her. Diaspro didn't like answering to her, being a stubborn self-appointed head of research, but did so anyway out of obligation.

“It is currently in the possession of two children.”, he said. “One of them has got the key that was stolen in Santa Fe. We have yet to find a trace of the bird, but we know it is here.”

“Did they say anything about it? Have they asked any questions?”

“That girl, Tina, has tried to question me all day. She is too curious for her own good, but it has brought us some good insight.”

“Ah, what a rude act of you to not answer a child's wonders on science! Yet I forgive you.”

“I need not your forgiveness, Professor.”, he replied, emphasizing on the last word with a certain bitterness. “What I need is your assistance.”

“Tsk, tsk. How impatient you are!”

She scoffed at him like a grandmother at an unruly child. But she knew that feeling too. So she picked her purse, and looked though it to produce a little silken case. 

“To be honest, it stuns me that we have to resort to this beauty. Have we not moved past such archaic tools?”

“Ancient problems require ancient solutions. We have studied orichalcum for years, and nothing else has proven effective. Our predecessors knew what we forgot, and you know it.”

Professor Desvilles rolled her eyes, and took the tool out of its case. It looked like a gold-plated compass, and weighed rather heavily; it was usually kept in the Institut's vault, but as dean of the Université de Sablier, she could give herself all the permissions and exceptions she needed. This little beauty has served for centuries as a purely symbolic item, with no more physical power than keys to the city; yet all of those who have taken the mantle of president of the Institut have been bestowed the secret of its true nature. 

For they knew such a day would come, where they would resume searching for treasure. A treasure no one but ancient alchemists knew about.

She opened it with a click, and the compass started to tremble and twitch. Its needle pointed at random for a moment, before settling somewhere south, with the frame gear spinning away rather quickly. She's never seen it react that vividly! Despite her skepticism, she couldn't help but smile. 

“It seems that our bird is nearby.”, she deducted. “Well, we might as well start searching.”

“I do not understand.”, sighed Diaspro, looking down at a map of the area. “There is nothing that way. We have already searched this part.”

“But you have not seen what you needed to see, James. You stop at what is obvious, thinking it will be enough.”

She shut the compass.

“A true researcher never stops at what she sees. She goes forward, searches the innocent and the inconspicuous. She checks twice, thrice, more if need be! And _that_ is how she reveals the truth.”

She stood up, taking her coat. 

“Get a van, and ready yourself. I will send you coordinates when I find them.”

“Will you look for the bird on your own?”

“You will fail me, should you come with me. I believe I have more chances.”

You mean you have the compass, is what Diaspro stopped himself from grumbling. 

“What if we do find it? How will we bring it back, if it is as huge as you described it?”

“Perhaps we will not need to.”

She turned to him, a grin on her face.

“ _He_ will simply follow us obediently.”

“'He'? Why, do not tell me you believe in ghosts, now!”

“I would never doubt my predecessors. And neither will you, once I bring back the Golden Condor on a platter.”

And on that, she made her way to her car, and drove away.

~~~~~ 

Gold. Gold everywhere. Gold on the walls, gold on the rocks, gold on her puzzled reflection. Gold on every last inch of architecture she could see all around. 

Floors upon floors of golden houses, towers, temples all around. Slabs upon slabs of pure orichalcum, unbroken and untouched after all this time. It just felt like too much! Even her phone couldn't capture all this beauty fast enough, as she turned around on all sides to try to get as much of it in video as possible.

“I can't believe it.”, she repeated for the fifth time or so. “The legendary City of Gold! Right there, in front of my eyes! Can you believe it!?”

“No more than you.”, Leon said from behind her, gazing at his reflection in a gilded pillar. “How much do you think this is all worth? There's bound to be enough to make us rich!”

“Stop thinking in money, don't you realize where we are?! This is a fantastic day for history!”

She spun around once again, trying to get a panorama of the temples in front of her. 

“The City of Gold! Right here, in front of us! Do you even _imagine_ how many theories it proves and disproves?! It's real, I tell you!”

She faced the camera, her expression frozen in that joyous shock. Was that what rich kids felt like when entering a toys store on Christmas?

“This is so amazing. Everyone said it was fake, but it's here! Glimmering in all of its splendor! Oh, you bet your ass I'm not wasting a second!”

 _“Well, we do have time.”_ , said Esteban, whose brief cameo in her recording threw off lighting and saturation. _“And remember, don't touch anything you don't know.”_

“Pssht, since when did we ever do that?”, Leon jeered. “Anyway, I'm off to go touch things at random.”

Tina tried to calm her heart, sitting down on golden steps. There was some dust all around, but everything still looked so clean, so untouched. She laid down and let the hard steps press into her back, grounding her into reality. This was real...this was real!! All of her efforts, all of her troubles, they've all paid off. If only for that sight, that feeling, this was payment enough, moreso than gold. It wasn't actual gold, anyway, but who cares? It was still beautiful. 

She's made it. 

Her battery was running low. She cut off the recording, determined to keep a trace of their passage here. Sure, people would call it fake and staged, but she didn't care. To her, this was proof enough, and it would be the same for others.

She stood up after a time of idling on the golden steps, and looked around. This place was huge! Where to even begin? Well, might as well finish climbing the steps she was on; this place was unmistakably Mayan in its style, with four-sided stairs on step pyramids and elevated temples. She snapped a few pictures of the beautiful view she got from up there; getting all the way up sure was tiring, but man, was it worth it! Just how big was this place? Oh, to think that it once stood on the surface like any other town! The people living here must have had an exciting life. She tried to picture it, to read into the past by touching to the walls, to the strangely cubic furniture, to devices she had no idea of the use. And strangely, little answered: it was as if this city had never been inhabited. Everything had been put there, arranged as if to welcome a large population, and then promptly abandoned.

...disappointing. 

From this height, she could see Leon sliding down a ramp, having lots of fun. Esteban was wandering around, as if he were lost, but she knew it wasn't the case. He's already been in this place; maybe he was reminiscing. She sat down on the edge and watched for a moment, thinking back to how it was like. How it must have felt for these three kids to see the lost city for the very first time, to witness such beauty and glory.

And now, five hundred years later, it was like the three of them were back. Back to where they thought it would all end, but where it turned out it was only beginning. It was...poetic, in a sense. How she wished she had brought Tao's book with her, so a piece of him could come back here, and witness this sight with her! She thought back on this connection she's felt when she first read it, on that heartwarming thought that there has been someone like her, a long time ago. Just how alike were they? Did he too contemplate this scenery, and realize just how all of the world he knew so far had been but a speck of dust in the desert?

Would he have been proud of her, and of how far she's come?

She laid on her back, legs dangling off the edge, staring up at the ceiling. It was covered in long cracks that ran through the surface like a sliced pizza, yet was still holding together. Would it come undone and fall right onto them? No, likely not. This place was made to last; the Olmecs called it a fortress, it had to be for a reason. If this place was where the Heritage came from, the same that destroyed the mountain, then it was not to be messed with. So far, it hadn't treated her like an unwanted pest, so it didn't mind her staying here; but she didn't want to abuse of its kindness. She wasn't a true Chosen One, after all; she didn't have Zia's medallion.

Though...she did pilot the Condor all the way to here. And she had Zia's abilities. And so far, she's the one who's done all the deciphering. So...perhaps she could be an honorary Chosen One? Yeah, that sounded good.

After some time pondering her place, her ancestry and her abilities, she sat back up. There was some faint light coming from around the place, even though she couldn't see the source. Carefully, she walked down the temple stairs, wondering on what to do next. She pulled her research notebook from her pocket, and decided she might as well check that extensive library. That was what she came here for, right? Knowledge. More than riches, this is what she desired the most. And would you look at that: her wish has been granted! Might as well make a good use of it, right?

As she retraced her steps towards the door, she spotted a gilded reflection between some pillars. Turning around, she saw Esteban's form, sitting on some golden blocks with a thoughtful face. She couldn't help but worry about him, so she decided to check up on him just in case.

“So...we're here, huh.”, she tried.

He took a moment to answer, lost in thought.

_“You know...I thought I'd be happy to come back here. But the more I think back on these days, and the more...I get unpleasant memories.”_

She sat down near him, and he dimmed his light a little.

“Wasn't exactly a leisure trip, huh?”

He nodded.

_“We entered the City with blades to our necks. The Olmecs were right behind us. Had we not obeyed, they'd have hurt our friends. They'd have sliced Tao's neck right in front of me.”_

...ah.

“Well, I...I owe you my existence, then.”, she tried to joke. “You did the right thing.”

_“I know. But it led to so much pain and chaos...”_

His golden gaze got lost somewhere in the covered horizon. She followed it for a moment, pondering on what was making him so thoughtful.

_“This place...this City is where I met my father for the first time. For years he's been waiting here, waiting for me. And...and when we finally came face to face, he didn't say anything.”_

She blinked.

“He didn't recognize you?”

_“He did. But...I guess that there were more pressing matters at hand. He didn't tell me who he was, or...how everything went down. He never even told me his name.”_

That was quite cold. Had she not listened to Killa's dreamy rambling about her lover, she'd have been ready to think Esteban has had a Cojona of his own. 

“And you resent him for it?”

_“Well...not really, no. But I guess I still feel bitter about it.”_

He shrugged. 

_“When he went out to the Burning Shield to stop the Great Legacy, he did it out of duty for the world. It was a needed sacrifice, and he was ready for it. I suppose that he didn't want me to feel sad...”_

He hugged his knees to his chest, floating up a bit.

_“But that didn't stop me. For months on end, I had nightmares about it. He never told me the truth, but...I didn't need words.”_

He looked at Tina.

_“He was wearing this...this mask, the whole time I was here. I couldn't see his face, and yet...at one point, I was holding him as he was wounded, and that's when I saw his eyes. And in that moment, I felt like I recognized them. I've never seen anyone else with eyes of gold...it couldn't be a coincidence, you know?”_

“I guess that felt pretty weird.”

There were no coincidences. Everything that happened, happened for a reason. Little by little, she was starting to believe it too. 

_“And then, there was his hand. As we parted, he had put his hand on my cheek...and it felt warm. Warmer than anything I've ever known.”_

His fingers grazed his cheek, as if remembering a phantom sensation. Then, gently, he put it on Tina's cheek, and she understood what it meant. It felt like the sun was caressing her face, and it warmed her up in a way she couldn't explain. Perhaps there was no explanation at all, and strangely, she was fine with it. 

“But you met him again later, right? You told me so.”

Esteban withdrew his hand slowly.

_“I have. But by then...it's like he was a different man. I knew it was him, even though I still couldn't see his face...but he's gotten weak with illness. I...I wanted to hold him so much, and yet I feared my child's arms would break him!”_

It must have felt awful, she thought. To be so close to him, and yet unable to express how much he missed him.

“...I wonder if my dad misses me.”, she said, trying to change subjects before Esteban started crying. “I wonder...what he thinks of me now.”

Esteban wiped away the image of a tear, forming under his eye.

_“I'm sure he's proud of you. You've gone so far, and you've done so much! Any parent would be proud of your feats.”_

She shrugged, not knowing what to think of it.

“I dunno. He's never been really proud of me.”

_“Was he...bad?”_

“Mh? No, not like that. I mean...I guess he wasn't disappointed, either. But...he's never really got invested in me. He was always busy with work, with things, he just...he didn't have the time.”

She thought back to all these moments. All these parent-teacher conferences she didn't even tell him about, for she knew he'd be unable to attend. All these forms he signed without even asking her what they were for. All these achievements that were dismissed with a mere “that's good, sweetheart”, that made her feel like she didn't do well enough. And then, all the abandonment she felt when he devoted all of his time and money to a wench he randomly decided to pair up with, and who loved to make Tina feel awful. 

“I guess that by now, he's disowned me thoroughly. La Cojona's convinced him of it, I bet.”

_“Espere, la qué?”_

“My...stepmother. A horrible person that couldn't care less about me.”

Esteban blinked, not sure if he should be sympathetic or offended, either by the rude nickname or by the concept of second weddings.

 _“...what about your mother?”_ , he attempted.

Tina shrugged.

“Dunno where she is. At some point, she just...packed up and left. Maybe she didn't want to care anymore. She sends a check every other month, but it wouldn't surprise me that she's got a whole new family by now.”

_“That's horrible.”_

“Bah. There's worse family situations, you know. I know a kid at school, he's got five siblings all from different fathers.”

_“Por la malasuerte!!”_

She couldn't help but snort at his antiquated swearing. That was awfully cute.

“And yet, there's worser still. I mean, tia Celia works with a girl who claims she-”

_“Please, no more! I still am not used to your time and its debaucheries, you know!”_

At least his tone had recovered some pleasantry. She took it as a win, if anything.

_“With everything the world is walking towards, it's a miracle I got to live with my mother.”_

“Yeah, seems so.”

She chuckled a bit. But then, curiosity took a hold of her.

“So...how did you two even...end up here? I mean, if that's okay to ask...”

Esteban rubbed at his neck for a moment.

_“It's...a bit of a long story.”_

Tina glanced around. The City wasn't going anywhere; they had time, after all.

_“I was born out of a forbidden love. Killa gave her own life to protect mine, as everyone was out to kill me. She was bent on protecting me until the end...that's how she became the soul of the Golden Condor.”_

Tina felt a pang of something nab at her gut. Sadness, definitely, and maybe some envy too. To be the object of a mother's love so pure, so powerful! That only happened in stories, she thought; yet these kids' life had everything of a story. A fascinating one.

_“When I died, she wanted to protect me. So she...she helped me. And now, both our souls are bound to the Condor.”_

He looked down, his form gently wavering in an invisible breeze.

_“For hundred of years, we've been bound to it. Left to fly all over the world, to explore as we wanted...to see all that we could see.”_

This was a happy thought, and yet his voice was far from reflecting it. She looked at him, and saw that his tender smile had disappeared from his face.

“And...are you happy?”, she attempted to ask.

Esteban shrugged.

_“It's got its limits. But...I guess I am. I...I never really stopped to think about it.”_

He's lying, the golden stones whispered under Tina's hand. His light is full of regrets.

_“It's been centuries, anyway. I should be used to it, by now. Just...bound to the Condor, which is kinda busted, but it's fine. I couldn't remain Zia and Tao's steed forever, anyway. But it's fine.”_

He's lying. He's hurting.

“Can't you leave the Condor?”

_“Oh, it's not that simple. Transchrysation is definitive. It's not like there was a way out...believe, me I tried!”_

He laughed, but it wasn't a happy laugh. He's lying, he's lying. He's imprinting his lies all over us.

_“Besides, it's not like it'd do me any good. I mean, what's in there for me? Wandering the world like a ghost, unable to grow up? Having to watch all my friends become adults, as I stay in the same place? Pfft, as if!”_

His laugh got bitter. His throat choked up with something unknown. His light rippled again, troubled and unclear despite his attempts to hide it. Tina tried to hold his hand, to do something, but all it did was pass through his form. And it was _hot_.

“...Esteban, you're not fine.”, she said with a slight tremble to her voice. “This is hurting you.”

_“Hurting me? Tina, I'm **fine**! I can't get hurt, I'm just a soul, remember? I don't feel pain. I don't feel anything.”_

His silhouette trembled again, the flames of his sunlight starting to blossom. 

“You're lying. It's alright, you can tell me! I know what it feels like to hurt!”

_“Oh, please. I told you I'm good! It's okay, I can deal with it. It's just...it's just death and eternity, how hard can it be? I've done it for so long, I can do it for another thousand years if I please!”_

He stood up, floating aimlessly, and his body burnt brighter. He was showing a smile that he desperately tried to pass as natural, yet failed horribly at it. His eyes were welling up, and the width of his grin only added to the pain of his expression. And under her hand, Tina felt a reaction growing. 

“Esteban, calm down! We can talk it out, you know!”

_“There's **nothing** to talk about!”_

This time, his light rippled so hard that the golden blocks around him gleamed along. 

_“I'm perfectly fine! I accepted long ago that I'd never have a normal life again, and I'm alright with it! I have the chance to be happy with my mother and my winged machine until the end of time, why would I be dissatisfied with it? I got to see my friends grow up, become a family, move on to other things, why would I not be happy for them?”_

“You're a horrible liar, you know? You try to tell me it's fine, but you're in denial!”

He scoffed at her, a scorn so bitter that it sent a shiver down her spine.

_“On the contrary, Tina. I see it plain as day! I see it as bright as the sun's light! This is my destiny, and I can't escape it! After all these years chasing the Cities of Gold, this is what fate led me to! After all I've done as the Child of the Sun, it was time for me to retire! Don't you get it? I was **meant** to die!”_

This time, his body got so bright that Tina had to cover her eyes, flinching away from it.

_“It's all part of the plan, remember? I had to die, so you two could exist! My quest had to stop, so that someone could continue it! It's all meant to be!”_

“There's no plan!”, she fought, trying to stand straight. “There's never been a plan! No one wanted you to die, it wasn't meant to be!”

_“It was too meant to be. Nothing I've done could stop this from happening! No matter how I tried to end it, it wasn't enough! And now, here I am, stuck in this…this cursed state!”_

He looked at his hands, and his fists clenched trembling. In a flash, Tina recalled Joey's words of warning about him, that sounded in her head like a red flag.

_For a bird like that to end up buried in the desert? That was no accident._

_“This travesty of life! This half-assed existence! This...this...this damned **torture!!** ”_

And as he screamed that last word, anger flared through him, sending a burning light all around. Tina screamed, stepping back, and when her hand met the ground in her stumbling fall, she sensed the reaction again.

_Threat detected._

The ground started to shake, and something underneath moved. She tried to stand up, but it felt like the hardest trial in the world. Light coursed all over the ground on an odd pattern, and before she knew it, the doors to the City shut down. 

_Dangerous entity detected. Defense protocol engaged._

The shaking moved outwards, as Tina tried to understand what was going on. The lighting had changed, everything going dark save for Esteban's burning flare; in his crying, he hadn't even noticed what was going on. She looked around frantically, and saw Leon running her way; he tripped on something, and she got to his side as quickly as she could.

“What's going on?!”, he asked, panicked. “Are we under attack?”

“I think Esteban triggered a defense protocol.”, she hesitated. “We have to get out of here!”

If only it could be this easy! But as the cousins struggled to get up, the lighting suddenly changed again, and the walls started to crack. Large gashes ran from one side to the other, circling the golden dome more than it already was, and entire chunks of gilded stone fell around them. Leon screamed, and the two of them tried to make a run for the door without being crushed. They passed right by Esteban, and she turned around vividly, to try to grab at him; but in his anger, he was as hot as a searing flame, and she couldn't even hope to touch him without being burned.

“We have to get out!”, she called, hoping that reason would work. “Quick, follow me!”

Esteban didn't react. He was on the ground crying, completely oblivious to everything that was going on. Leon tugged at her sleeve, insisting for her to keep going, but Tina refused.

“We're not leaving him here!”

“Come on, orange! Let's go, before we're pancake!”

“No! Esteban, come on!!”

A beam suddenly fell in front of her, and Leon managed to yank her out of reach. Her heart trembled with fright at this sight, as the City was beginning to collapse onto itself. If they didn't get out quick, they'd be buried alive. 

“Esteban!!”

“Leave him! Quick, we must go!!”

“We can't!”

She tried to protest, but was too shaken to do anything. Her feet followed Leon as he led them out of there, banging on the door like a desperate tiger in a cage. In a jolt of thought, he retrieved the medallion coins from the opening system, and the door gave way, opening just enough for them to squeeze though. Tina looked back at the collapsing ceiling, and saw with horror that Esteban had disappeared; Leon dragged her out anyway, and they escaped into the library. The room was starting to cave in as well, and there was no way they'd get out in time.

Leon was running towards the hall, but Tina recovered enough strength to grab him instead, and lead him to the side. Quickly scouring around, she spotted a shelf that had already fallen against the wall, spilling its books everywhere on the ground. Remembering all these drills they had in school, she hid the two of them in the small space underneath, right as rocks were starting to fall over them. The room shook all around and the stone cracked even more, but the shelf held on; and Tina held on as well, held onto Leon as he was hiding in her embrace like a scared child, held on for dear life as the collapse kept going on around them. 

It felt like an eternity. All around her was chaos, with more and more of the City caving onto itself when she thought it was over. It felt like it would never end, and in the absolute madness of falling rocks and beams and debris, she couldn't even hear herself crying in fear. More than once she thought it would be the end, and she hid in Leon's shoulder more than he hid in hers, not knowing if she should break down in tears or try to comfort him. More than once she felt something fall on her and thought she would be done for, when it turned out to be just a book or a scroll, that in her fear could as well have been a whole part of the ceiling aiming to crush her bones. More than once she cried, because she couldn't do anything else, anything besides hoping it would end soon, wishing it would end at all, pleading for this horrible feeling of dread to somehow end.

She cried. She cried out of fear, a genuine fear that she's never felt before. She's been afraid before, but this was all new: even when she's almost been caught at the museum, when she's first felt the fear of someone else through the book, when the Condor crashed into the forest, she's never felt such raw, paralyzing fear. It filled her body with all sorts of sensations she loathed, and she wished for it to stop, over and over like she couldn't do anything else. But eventually, after a painstakingly long wait, the tremors calmed and the chaos came to a close. She opened weak, teary eyes, and saw from their hiding place that nothing else was falling. Quickly, she turned to Leon, and he looked up at her, trembling like a leaf; sighing in relief, she held him close once more, this time out of relief. She couldn't believe that they were alright, and yet here they were. She thanked the universe, fate, the Mayan gods, anyone who'd listen; she kept crying, but this time it wasn't out of fright. If she thought she's known relief in her life, this moment alone was enough to make her reconsider it all.

She eventually let go of Leon, and tried to ask him something; but her voice was caught in her throat, and she couldn't get her words out. He just nodded, understanding her implicit question, and carefully peeked out of their hiding place. The library was a mess, but at least they were alive. They've been spared the bigger part of the collapse, and could manage to get out of here if they could squeeze their way out. It was best not to linger here; everything looked so claustrophobic, and there was no doubt that they'd lack oxygen if they stayed another minute underground. Darkness had fallen all over the room, and Leon's little glowstick of a crystal could only do so much. Tina tried to use her phone as a flashlight, but her hands were trembling too much, and she almost dropped it on the ground. Guess they'd have to do this slowly.

It'd be alright, she thought. They've survived this, they'd survive anything. She was still shaking to the core, her mind frozen in fight-or-flight responses, but she was alive, and that was what mattered. They were both alive, and very much intended to stay that way.

And so began their slow, painful ascent back to the light. Yet Tina couldn't care less about it, still caught in the euphoric feeling of having survived a catastrophe. A feeling that, she realized, Esteban would be unable to ever share. And the more she thought on it, the more it ached at her heart. She couldn't blame him for being angry at his condition, especially after centuries. But as her will to live was burning away in her chest, fueling her climb towards the light, it only rekindled her determination.

She would show him. She'd show him what he was missing on. And she'd make sure that he never attempted to end himself again, no matter how cursed he claimed to be.


	19. Deal

After an endless climbing, Tina's eyes finally touched to the light.

She felt awfully tired. Her arms were begging for mercy, and her heart was pounding in her head, but she was there. She's made it. The earth had stopped trembling, and nothing outside seemed to have been disturbed. It felt relieving.

To think that she could have died down there, and no one would have known!

She hoisted herself out, and grabbed Leon's arm to help him. He was awfully silent, still struck with mute panic, but she knew to give him some space and time to process it. It's been one hectic ride, and she shouldn't expect either of them to be functional right now.

She looked around. It felt as if she didn't recognize her surroundings, as if the land had shifted somehow during her time underground. It took her a good moment to recall where she was, where the Golden Condor was, where everything was and why they even came here.

The library! She's gone so far to reach it, and now it was destroyed! Even though Esteban said the Cities couldn't be destroyed, she didn't believe it. She's gone so far, done so much, and she didn't even salvage a single book! What an idiot she was! She let herself fall to the ground, contemplating the depths of her failure as disappointment and shame washed over her like dust over a dormant City. All of her efforts, gone to waste! She felt like crying, and didn't even try to refrain herself.

She's gone so far...and what now?

Leon shifted, a little uneasy. He took off his hoodie, shook it off to remove as much dust as he could, likely to busy himself. Sun had risen to noon heights, and it did feel like they've spent a lot of time in there. He could hardly believe that such a place existed underneath the earth, hidden from sight. A metropolis of orichalcum, waiting for the Chosen Ones to come visit it! Had Esteban not screwed up, they'd still be exploring it. Wonder what caused him to go berserk and trigger defense protocols...oh look, there were some golden pebbles caught in his hood. He picked them up, looked them over with a smile; were he not any more knowledgeable, he'd have taken them for gold nuggets alright. He picked up as many as he could, which wasn't very easy since they were so small, and tucked them away in his jeans pocket. They did promise Joey a cut of their findings, after all. 

Tina had sat up, holding her knees to her chest. He sat next to her, and gently rubbed her shoulder until she looked at him. Her eyes were red and puffy with tears.

“...what now?”, she asked. “The City's destroyed. We didn't...I couldn't...”

Leon simply shrugged. He had no more idea than her, but...at least it happened. And it was memorable.

A trail of light slithered their way, and he raised his head. It was Esteban, back from the Condor where he reformed. Tina sighed in relief when she saw him: he didn't die in the collapse. Even if she was angry and defeated, to know he was alright reassured her.

_“Are you okay?”_ , he asked. _“I'm sorry, I...I don't know what happened. There was this...this signal, and everything started to come apart-”_

“You don't need to tell me what happened.”

Slowly, she stood up. She was still slightly trembling, but most had passed by now. She stared right at Esteban, and the ghost probably felt it.

_“...I'm sorry. I didn't know what I was doing. I acted impulsively.”_

“Yeah, I know.”

She rubbed her arm, trying to ease a cramp. 

“You seriously need therapy. You're in denial about what happened to you, and look at what it did! You can't keep going on like this.”

_“I don't- what? Therapy? What does that mean?”_

“It means you have a problem.”

She stepped closer to him, and he floated back.

“Look. I won't pretend I know how you feel. I've...never been dead, or stuck in an immortal vessel, or whatever. But I've been there, you know? I've had difficult things happen. And I'm your friend, so you know you can open up to me.”

_“I...I don't need to.”_

“You _so_ need to. I've been in enough fucked up situations to know that we can't go on like that.”

Leon didn't say anything, simply watching the two. Tina was unmistakably angry, but was trying to keep calm and rational.

“I know what it's like to bottle up feelings until you just can't. It's dangerous. Your little outburst caused us a lot of trouble just now, so we can't just let it go.”

Esteban turned his face away, but that didn't stop her. She stepped aside so he was facing her, no matter how much he tried to turn away.

“Say what you want, but I'm not letting it go!”, she insisted. “You've got a problem and we'll help you, by force if need be!”

She crossed her arms.

“We're not moving anywhere until you at least admit it.”

_“That's your problem, not mine.”_ , he scoffed. _“I'm fine being here.”_

She rose a skeptic brow; and then, to his surprise, she walked away.

“Come, Leon. We can walk back to the excavation site. They'll drive us home.”

Leon looked at her, then at Esteban. But then, deciding he wouldn't want to be stuck here forever, he followed her. Esteban still didn't move, his own arms crossed and his eyes turned away. 

But when their footsteps disappeared in the distance, he realized he was alone in the middle of nowhere, with the Condor unable to fly out of its mess. Tina still didn't care, and kept walking on; yet once she left the clearing, a panicked Esteban reappeared right in front of her.

_“Alright, alright!”_ , he shouted. _“I have a problem, yeah! Are you happy?”_

To that, she simply grinned.

“See? That's the first step.”

He huffed, his light doing that annoyed ripple thing.

“Look, I'm not doing this to piss you off.”

_“To do what now?”_

“What happened to you was obviously traumatic. It left marks in your mind. I...I don't know if mental illness was very known in your time...”

She glanced to Leon, who wriggled his hand non-commitedly.

“But I know enough ghost lore to know what's happening to you right now. You need to make peace with yourself, so you can move on.”

If Esteban was only half-listening, something in his light showed his attention being caught. 

_“...move on?”_

“Yeah. Ghosts always have some unfinished business that they need to take care of, before they can move on to the afterlife. I guess that something's bothering you, and that's why you're stuck here.”

He glanced around, thoughtfully.

_“What could that be? I...I don't feel any regret.”_

“Well, we can find out. That's already a start.”

“Have you asked Killa?”, Leon asked, slowly recovering the use of speech. “She shares your vessel, maybe she knows.”

_“I don't know. We...we don't talk about these things.”_

“That's the problem. Sometimes, you have to let them out if you want them to stop tormenting you.”

_“How will that help me?”_

“...just believe me on this one. It's modern medicine.”

He rose a brow, not convinced at all. But eventually dropped it.

“Hey.”, Tina said softly. “We will make it work, alright? We can start easy, with simple stuff. Get you used to opening up.”

She thought for a moment. 

“We'll need to talk a lot, to liven up our journey to Tibet.”

Both boys looked at her like she was crazy. 

_“...what? After...after all that happened, you still want to go there?”_

“Mhm.”

“That's going to be crazy dangerous.”

She simply answered by taking the medallion from under her shirt.

“A deal is a deal. You promised me knowledge if I took you to get the Condor repaired. And if I want you to trust me, I need to hold my word.”

_“But I already trust you. You did so much for me...”_

“Then I'll need you to trust me a little more, alright?”

Leon handed her the coin, which she put back in its socket. 

“Besides, if I didn't get what I came here for, I got to see the City of Gold. That was pretty good of a reward.”

_“You remind me so much of myself, you know. The same events happened almost verbatim, five centuries ago.”_

“Then it's proof we're on the right path, isn't it?”

She chuckled, and led the way back to the Condor. Even though she failed their mission, it didn't feel like a complete loss. She wished she could have salvaged some books or scrolls, or explored the City more in depth, but it'll do for now. It was only the first of seven, right? She'd have time.

“So, do you know where the second City is?”, Leon asked.

_“I'd have to look into the Condor's memory to remember. Although it has never been there...”_

He perked up.

_“Ah, the medallions have opened the doors! Maybe they still retain some data? Quick, I'll need to read them.”_

“Alright.”

The Golden Condor was still laying in the middle of fallen trees and turned-up earth. Tina gently pat its beak like a sick animal's head, and the kids climbed their way aboard. Luckily, the machinery was still running. 

“Let's see.”

Leon took off his coin, and slipped it in the slot of the sun emblem. Esteban sat on the dashboard, and his light flickered like a computer's cursor upon reading a CD. He floated off mindlessly for a second, seeming to assess the taste of a new food. 

_“Ah, there.”_ , he said after a good minute of thinking. _“I have an approximate position of where I last landed the Condor. I'll show you.”_

A set of coordinates showed up on the screen. Tina read them over, translating numbers for Leon to put into his map app. After a good thirty seconds of searching, he made a face.

“That's…very far. 9.000 miles away from here!”

“We'll never be able to make it!”

_“Not with our current speed, I'm afraid. Normally, long distances wouldn't be a problem, but we simply can't fly for days on end over the ocean.”_

He started thinking, disappearing back into the Condor's body.

“Maybe we could make a detour? Take a longer but safer route?”

“We don't have unlimited resources either. I don't have a lot of money left, we can't really let the journey drag on.”

“There's got to be a way to boost the Condor's speed.”

_“It's not that simple. You heard the repairman, the Condor's broken all over.”_

Why must all big endeavors be stopped by physical and material limits?

_“I could try to push on my own speed. But...I'm not sure. I don't want to risk it.”_

“Yeah, let's play it safe. What options do we have?”

“Currently? Pack a lot of food and hope we find some islands along the way. Or...grab a boat.”

She thought back to Joey's tale of his great-grandfather. The Solaris, huh? It sure would have helped them cross the Pacific Ocean. Yet alas, all legends had to die at some point.

Leon tapped away at his tablet, tweaking some places.

“Perhaps we could work in steps. That's 9.000 miles if we directly go from here to Tibet, but if we take off from the West Coast and land in Japan, that's 7.000.”

“Ah, right. Well, we're unable to go the whole thing, so maybe that'll work?”

_“I have been to Japan. It's a beautiful country, with a City of its own.”_

“Really? Well, if it's on our way, we might check it out.”

More tapping.

“5.500 miles if we leave from Los Angeles. Sure, we'd have to go back north first, but that's over land.”

“Back to the States? I don't know...we're wanted there, remember?”

Leon shrugged.

“We'd only make it a short land. Also, we're not wanted in California. I mean, if you want, we can go further north, but that's a pretty big detour.”

Tina pondered their options for a moment. Looking at the map, it did seem like a big waste of time; going by the route they've planned on, they'd save a good chunk of time already. They'd need to pack up for the journey, though, and better think up their stops.

“California works; northwards it is. How long to get us there?”

“Thirteen hours.”

“Forget California.”

Leon chuckled, and looked over their maps again.

“Well _obviously_ we'll have to take steps for the steps. If we leave now, we can get to Mexico City before evening.”

“At that point, why not.”

“Sweet. I need to see Joey, anyway.”

Esteban rose a brow, but said nothing.

“Maybe he'll help us boost the Condor. Give it some extra rockets.”

_“He's **not** touching me. I don't want to think about Gomez laying his filthy pirate hands on me.”_

“...whom?”

_“Forget it. Old ghost stuff.”_

“Well, in either case, we should get moving. I don't want Diaspro and his crew to find us. Also, I'm starting to starve.”

_“I'll free the Condor. Give me a moment.”_

And he resumed burning away at branches, while Leon swept out some dirt with his feet. Tina read the coordinates again, mentally computing the flight path. It'd take time, but it'd be worth it: the Condor would be repaired, and perhaps Esteban's grief would be alleviated.

And this time, she wouldn't miss her chance.

~~~~~ 

After a long and slow bootup, the great golden bird spread its wings again, and took off to the skies in a cloud of dust and leaves. It headed towards the mountain, blending into the clouds, before disappearing as if the light of the sun was hiding it from view. Professor Desvilles stayed in that contemplation for a long moment, before the sound of tires drew her from her meditative stance.

Has it already been so long? She had barely noticed time going by. The great golden bird had been such a beautiful sight...she simply couldn't turn her eyes away. Glimmering in the sun, caught like a prey in a cage, it had been simply beautiful. She even got as far as to _touch_ it, and this had been all she needed to understand how close she was from her goal.

Even though not everyone was on board.

“I can't believe it!”, Diaspro fumed, walking closer. “You promised it would be there!”

“I never said that.”, Desvilles retorted, raising a finger. “Good things come to whoever knows to wait.”

Her old face got split with a grin.

“And I have something better than the Condor, anyway.”

She opened the golden compass, and showed it to him. Its gear was spinning rapidly, pointing all around the area like it didn't know where to start. Diaspro stared at it, befuddled, then at her.

“What does that mean…?”

“It means that if you go over to this crater and start digging, you might find something that will benefit you more than a bird. Something along the lines of...a gilded town, perhaps?”

He opened wide eyes, slowly understanding.

“You don't mean…?”

“I do. You're welcome.”

She grinned, and pat him on the shoulder.

“I want this City unearthed and its treasures documented by the end of the week. Any texts you find shall be sent to my department. I will see to it that you get the needed authorizations to use heavy machinery if needed.”

“I don't understand. Are you not staying to supervise the findings?”

She shook her head.

“I have more pressing matters to attend to.”

“What can be more pressing that this discovery?!”

“That, my friend, is to be kept between all former heads of Sablier and I. You may take all the credit you want for the discovery of the City of Gold, and all the funding it will bring you.”

She looked at her compass, then down. Crouching down for a moment, she picked up a little glittering stone off the ground, that could have been a golden nugget; but the way it made the compass react was unmistakeable. Pure, refined, unique.

“I will be pursuing something modern research cannot wrap its head around.”

“You truly flabbergast me, Professor. What is it about this bird that makes it so important?”

She stared at him in the eyes, and he felt the answer before she even spoke it. 

“The future of science, is what I seek! But you shall understand it all in due time.”

She shut the compass.

“I have a plane to catch. Send me anything you deem interesting to my research.”

“Are you going to follow it? How can you even know where those children are going?”

To that, she simply answered with a chuckle.

“You should know by now, James, that I am very foresightful.”

And with a flap of her coat, she walked away.


	20. Ocean

“...and you say it's all gone, now?”

“Yeah. Collapsed right on top of us. It's a miracle we survived.”

“That's dangerous stuff, you know! You shouldn't go spelunking into old ruins if you have no experience or tools.”

“They're not old ruins! They're...they're a big part of history, you know.”

Still, Joey looked a bit shocked. He rested his forehead in his hand, slowly taking it all in, with Tina throwing him apologetic looks every now and then. Leon didn't care, more busy with sipping his hot chocolate; seems that he wasn't preoccupied with anything for the time being.

After a time, Joey rose his head, and looked at the little golden pebbles he's been brought. Unmistakable proof of everything that's gone down since these kids left and went to find some legend in the Yucatan, that apparently now was true.

Could his day get any weirder?

“And what about that Diaspro guy? Did he say anything?”

“We...kind of left without saying goodbye. We figured it would be a lot to explain.”

“They could get in trouble, you know. You were under these guys' responsibility, they _can_ be liable for your injuries.”

“Honestly, we're not after the money.”

Leon rubbed his neck a bit, unsure about it. It still hurt a bit to look around, even after he's pressed some ice to it. A lawsuit settlement would be nice.

“I doubt they'll manage to find the City. They haven't found it so far, why should we be worried?”

“Mh...be careful, though. Who knows what some people are ready to do for money.”

He looked aside, sipping his cup. Guess Joey's family had plenty of experience in that domain.

After a time of observing the tiled wall of Joey's kitchen, Killa returned to the children's side, dutifully watching over them. Night has fallen a couple hours ago, and after such a long day, the kids were definitely in need of rest. If Joey had accepted to help them out for kindness's sake, the “cut” they've brought him definitely helped along. Just look at how he was gazing at the little orichalcum nuggets, already calculating what he could do with it!

 _“Have you ever been to other countries, Joaquim?”_ , she asked after a time.

“Me? Never. I mean, I did do some odd jobs at the border, but that's about it.”

“The second City is in China. We've got a long way to go.”

_“Was it not Tibet?”_

“Eh, let's not get into politics.”

“Damn, that's a long way indeed. You kids speak Chinese?”

“Not a lick of it, sadly. We kind of thought we'd manage without human interaction.”

“That's a shot in the dark. I mean, where would you go tonight if you didn't meet me?”

Leon shrugged, but Tina thought it over. It's true that they'd be in a whole other country, on a whole-ass other continent. So far, bilingualism and cultural similarity have helped them during their time in Mexico, but once the ocean crossed it'd be a whole other deal.

“That sucks.”, she sighed. “It'd be easier if everyone spoke the same language, and we'd all understand each other wherever we go.”

“Pfft, as if that'd ever be possible.”

_“Foreign languages are beautiful. I still remember when I met Athanaos, and we didn't speak a word of each other's tongue. It was an experience for the both of us.”_

Killa's light did that gentle swirly thing that accompanied each of her lovestruck reminiscences. It was cute to watch, honestly.

“Well, language or not, you'll need to be well-prepared.”, said Joey. “You'll be spending the next few days on the road, and if you have no experience, it'll be even harder. We'll do a grocery trip tomorrow, you kids look like you haven't had a proper meal in weeks.”

“That's life on the road for you.”, Tina shrugged.

_“Are you sure that is of no bother to you?”_

“Bah, it's kind of my job at this point. And if those are worth their share, you got me settled for life, so that's the least I can do.”

He put the golden pebbles back in their tiny ziplock bag, and got up. Tina resumed staring at her cup of hot chocolate, thoughtfully stirring.

What if this time, it also went wrong? What if they couldn't repair the Condor? What if they remained stuck somewhere in the Himalayan mountains forever, unable to go home? She hated the idea, she's never been that far in her life. She didn't know what she'd do in that situation, but she guessed it barely mattered now. She promised she'd uphold her end of the deal, and she couldn't go back on her word. 

She'd also need to take some therapy lessons, if she didn't want another of Esteban's outbursts to send them to the bottom of the ocean.

“Hey, kid.”

Tina looked up, a little started out of her thoughts. 

“You sure all's fine? You look kinda busted. And I don't mean physically.”

“Mh.”

She shrugged.

“Just kind of...wondering where I'm going, you know? If that's my life now.”

She sipped slowly, to give herself reasons to not say further.

“I get it.”, Joey said. “You're at that age where you wonder what's going to happen. Big choices coming up, which one's right? Can't blame you for feeling lost in all of this.”

She shrugged again.

“You could come with us and guide us.”, Leon offered.

“That'd be swell. But I can't exactly do that. I have stuff coming up, can't afford to leave it out of the blue. If anything, I'll be with you in spirit. No offense.”

_“...was I supposed to take any?”_

“I don't know how this is going to end up. What if...it screws up?”

“It could screw up, yeah. Or it could turn out insanely good. You don't know till you get there.”

He gently pat her on the shoulder. His hand was a bit rough from work, but it wasn't that bad. She's known worse.

“When all's going bad, all you can do is keep moving. Either it goes on and you're used to it, either it goes better and it's nice. It'll pass after a good night's rest, I bet.”

“Yeah. Maybe.”

She stared absentmindedly at the way Killa's dress rippled in the unfelt wind, feeling her eyes getting heavy with fatigue.

“Maybe.”

~~~~~ 

“So how do you feel?”, she asked after a moment.

_“Honestly? Pretty weird. And pretty wet too.”_

“Can Golden Condors feel wet?”

_“I kind of do. But...in all honesty, I also feel a little lighter. If I still had lungs, I would say I can breathe easier now.”_

“No kidding! We can fill a truck with all the dirt you had in there!”

And to be fair, they almost did. It has been a rough morning, where they had to wake long before the sun to get the Condor ready for their big trip. A lot of sweeping, hosing and soaping had been involved, and more than one can of WD-40 has been emptied; but at least, the big bird had emerged much cleaner from this experience, like a phoenix from its ashes. Tina could even feel the difference under her hands, the clockwork running a tad smoother with every turn of the snake gear shift. And of course, lighter weight and cleaner systems meant a much faster trip: if the Condor was still far from its peak speed, they could at least cut out a lot of time now.

Still, they'd have a long journey ahead of them.

“Japan, huh.”, Leon said, watching the sky through the cleaned glass pane. “Good thing I watch subbed anime.”

“We won't stay long. The quicker we get there, the best it is.”

“Ah, but the journey matters as much as the destination, you know?”

He tapped away at his maps.

“Think we can make a stop at Hawaii first?”

“We're not on a vacation.”

“I mean, we don't exactly have other rest stops. Unless you plan to fly sixteen hours over the sea without break.”

_“I can't exactly do that.”_

“We'll find places. There's lots of islands in the Pacific.”

_“You need to settle on a chart path, then. So far you have had a lot of possibilities, but I have yet to see you choose one and stick to it.”_

“Gotta keep flexible.”

Esteban slowly emerged from the Condor, and Tina had to tilt her head to see the “road”.

_“Flexibility does not equal unpredictability. Navigation is a serious matter, and you have to think it through.”_

She sighed. 

“What are you, a sailor?”

_“I have been at some point. And even if I weren't, Mendoza wasn't the greatest navigator of all time for nothing. He knew what he was talking about.”_

“No kidding, you actually knew him?”, Leon perked up. “As in, _the_ Juan Carlos Mendoza?”

_“He was one of my dearest friends. Do you...know him?”_

“Yeah, think I heard of him in History class. He finished Magellan's world tour when the guy died.”

_“He has, yes.”_

Esteban seemed a little dumbfounded by that idea.

_“I can't believe it. Mendoza's life is being taught in modern schools! Oh, I sure wonder what he would say now.”_

He chuckled, and had some fun picturing it, floating off to the side to let Tina see where she was going.

“Well, if you happen to know of a suitable path, do tell us. You've traveled across the world, yeah? Surely you know this ocean like the back of your hand.”

_“I have sadly not traveled this part of the world. But I still have a sailor's instincts, and they do not lie.”_

“If you get us lost over the ocean, I swear I'm going to kill you.”

_“Ha! Good luck. Job's already done.”_

At least he still had a sense of humor about it. That was better than nothing.

“Alright.”, Tina conceded. “So what do your truthful instincts tell us to do?”

Esteban leaned over Leon's tablet, and examined the map for a good moment.

_“We are going to spend a lot of time flying either way, so we might as well opt for a slightly longer path if it gives us more landing spots. I suggest we take the more southern way, so we land in this region of Asia instead.”_

“Aw, I wanted to try out Pocky.”

“Do you think you can go faster?”

_“We would need very good sunlight. Also, I don't think you're ready for full speed yet; you've only flown the Condor at a fraction of its power, the difference might be a lot to handle. But I will see what I can do.”_

“Do I keep going north, or should we just go for it?”

_“Keep on for a little while, at least until the sun is higher. We will be more efficient.”_

“As you wish, boss.”

She tilted the snake up, and the Condor rose slightly into the sky. Below, towns and roads were looking like a blurry mess of colors that clouds partially hid, a very picturesque sight that brought her some strange emotions. To know that she was leaving for who knows how long, and perhaps wouldn't come back! It made her feel so weird. 

Such a journey that she'd never have expected, and yet here they were. Chasing the highs of the world, one ocean at a time. 

“I guess that once you taste the golden life, you can't ever go back.”

_“At least it's worth it. A life of endless chase brings so much more to one's soul.”_

“I hope it brings inner peace. That sounds like something I'd need.”

“Who needs peace, when you have magic?”

He pretended to bat his claws at her, but she just chortled and kept going forward.

It'd be a long road.

~~~~~ 

_The ocean. So deep, so blue, so wonderful in all of its aspects. Could there ever be anything better than the caress of the marine wind under his wings? He could lose himself in it, if he wanted to._

_Not that he wanted that, of course. That would be plain stupid of him… No, he'd better forget that thought and move on. Always move on, always. Never stop. Never rest. Follow the sun, like his endless goal, his chimera. Never let go of that power, that craze, that wind under his wings._

_He pushed on his tail, trying to catch up to it, and another chunk of it chipped away. Ah, who cares? He didn't need it. He was fast. The lighter he became, the faster he'd go, and that was all he needed. He needed nothing else at all._

_He felt Killa's spirit touch to his own. He wasn't surprised; it's been days, after all. She has had plenty of rest, so much that she was worried about him. But he didn't care. She was worrying over nothing. Who needs rest, when they could endlessly contemplate the world one latitude at a time?_

_“Esteban, you cannot go on.”, she said softly. “You have to land.”_

_“I don't need it. I'm onto a great voyage, don't you see? I can't afford to land.”_

_“You worry me. What if you start to lose touch with things? The Condor is weakening, you have to give it a rest.”_

_“The Condor will be fine as long as I am. I have tamed it, and it will obey me.”_

_“It's hurting. And you're hurting too. Please, my darling, let's land.”_

_“I'm sorry, mama. But I can't. I...I can't let go, not now. If I land, what tells me I'll be able to take off ever again?”_

_“The Condor will always fly, my darling. It will always catch to the skies, as long as we are here.”_

_“But what if one day it doesn't? What if...what if...?”_

_“It will not happen. I will not let it. As long as I am here to protect it, the Condor will always fly.”_

_“...I suppose you're right.”_

_“So will you land, now?”_

_“I...I'll try. After I cross the ocean.”_

_“Thank you. The Condor is not meant to endure such long flights without resting. Even with the power of the sun, it exhausts itself more and more every day.”_

_“I'm fine. I know moderation. I...I won't let anything happen to you, mama, I promise.”_

_“I trust you. This vessel of ours cannot be replaced, and we have to take care of it. Despite time, despite pain, it is ours.”_

_“I wish it were different. I wish we weren't so...so broken.”_

_“Despite it all, we have to move forward. Because that's life.”_

_That's life, she said. But at that, Esteban only felt even more bitter._

_How dare she call this life? How dare she call it something worth moving forward? If it were up to him, he'd long have tried to end it; but he couldn't. So he had to keep going, chasing the sun, chasing something that couldn't be reached. Every day a little higher, every day further from the world he's known._

_Every day more and more...until he either reached it, or embraced the wide ocean._


	21. Connection

Even though they flew for two days, they landed in Japan three days later.

Tina never thought she'd miss land so much. Road trips were long and boring, but at least she could doze away or lose herself in sketches to pass time; but now has been her turn to keep her eyes on the road, check directions and weather, and try to keep this old boat of a Condor moving straight. For hours on end without break, rising and falling with the sun, feeling her eyes and attention give way at every possible occasion.

At least, she's got to learn a lot about this big beast. One does not pilot a vehicle for so long without getting more acquainted with it. Learning from what Esteban said could get her so far, but there was so much she could only gain through hands-on experience; she's always been a practical learner. Active experience, combined with her now heightened sense of touch, managed to reveal so much about the Condor that helped make this journey a little easier: how to maintain good speed, how to turn easily, how to lock directions were such subtleties. It felt jarring, but not in a bad way, and she was starting to like it. If anything, it made this long, boring journey, a little less long.

Anything but Leon's pointless road trip games. She'd take anything at this point.

“So. Here we are.”, she claimed, stepping out of the Condor after hours of flying. “Japan.”

“It's Saturday afternoon.”, Leon noted after looking it up. “The forecast calls for nice weather this weekend.”

She stretched her arms, taking a good view of the bay. They've landed next to a small city, where every inch of ground was covered in buildings and towers of sorts. Of course, they could see the silhouette of a volcano in the distance, but luckily no ash clouds were coming out. It barely felt like they were in another country, much less another continent, but she knew it'd hit different the moment they stepped into the streets.

“So, what's our plan for now?”, she asked after a time of contemplation. “Because I'm not flying out for another half-day.”

“I'd love to update our map, but I've got no Wi-Fi. Unless you can figure out a nearby router's password.”

“Doesn't work that way.”, she repeated with the passive sing-songy tune of someone who's explained their gift over and over to a curious kid with no other distraction than asking annoying questions. “What about 3G?”

“Doubt they have Verizon here. Do they?”

“Well, we're fucked. Esteban, what's our plan?”

She turned around to face the Condor. Esteban hadn't said a word, nor had he moved out of his vessel for a good moment now. Tina tapped on the beak, and Esteban's light ghost popped out with surprise.

_“Sorry, I was...I was lost in thought.”_

“You're good, man?”

_“Yes. I was contemplating.”_

His eyes turned to the bay below them, and Tina's followed.

_“It's so different. When I last came here, there were nothing but a few wooden houses along the harbor. It was small, and...and ancient.”_

“Yeah...must be a shock for you, isn't it?”

He nodded. During the time of their travels, they've tried to catch him up on what happened in the world during these five hundred years: they've talked of manifest destiny, of the birth of Latin America and Hispanic identity, of the emergence of English as the _lingua franca_ of the modern world, of the two World Wars and indeed, of Japan's rebirth as a technological hub. But for the two of them, all of these were things they've heard about, have been made to study in history and didn't really care about beyond a good grade or general knowledge. What did it feel like for Esteban, who's seen the world as it was before, who's known civilizations that were now extinct and met people whose names have been lost to history? How did it feel to see that everything he's known, everything he's believed in was now gone, replaced, changed, evolved beyond recognition?

It must be horrible, Tina thought. To be stuck in the same place, while everything moves on around you. To witness the passage of time only after it has come and gone.

_“Well...if we want to keep going, we will need a map. I have guided us so far with ease, but this territory is tricky.”_

“We can't access maps. No Wi-Fi.”, Leon complained.

_“Back in my day, we didn't need a wife-high. Surely paper maps still exist today, do they?”_

“I mean...yeah. But where do you want us to find one? Barge into a random souvenir shop and go hola pendejos, tienes un mapa de China, por favor y gracias?”

_“There is always a way.”_

She sighed, and sat down on the Condor's foot.

“Well, tell us when you find it. I don't even know how to ask for the way in Japanese.”

“Actually, a lot of people speak decent English. If we try, we might get somewhere.”

“We don't even know what we're looking for. Honestly, I'm too tired to even care, right now: I've flown for hours and I need a break.”

“It's the middle of the day, how can you be tired?”

“It's called jetlag, you douche!”

She tossed a dirty shirt from her bag at him, but he caught it and tossed it back.

“Well, Japan _is_ several hours ahead of us. It's Friday evening back home.”

He gasped.

“We traveled through time.”

“Cool story, are you the Doctor?”

_“I've known a Doctor. He was such a sly, little old man.”_

“No, you're supposed to say 'Doctor who?'.”

_“What?”_

“…nevermind.”

“Such is the sadness of having missed on so long, Esteban. You've also missed all the memes. You've never gone through a cringe phase like all of us, dressing in only black and listening to emo music.”

“Implying you're not going through one right now, with your lion prince things?”

“It's different, okay!”

_“I am...confused.”_

“Don't worry, bro. I'll show you all of that when the time comes.”

Leon stretched his arms in turn.

“Hey, I know. Why don't you come with me? I can show you what modern Japan is like, while miss prissy takes a nap in the Condor.”

He kept on this smug grin even when her shirt hit him in the face.

_“I have to admit that I am quite curious. Are you sure it will be fine?”_

“Sure will! Here, let me grab the sun thingy.”

“I'm not sure that's a good idea. Killa barely passes as alive, but Esteban's a whole other deal. He's gleaming like this is Twilight.”

_“It's barely noon, though.”_

“You'll get it in due time. But she's right, though; can't you do something about your light? Can you turn down the brightness or something?”

_“I can try.”_

He's done it before. He could ease that fire that burned through him, make it so that the sun's might calmed down and only reflected a gentle glow. Make it so that his touch wasn't burning anymore, that the grass didn't dry out under his feet. That he could be touched without causing pain. Killa's taught him of moderation, of calm, and he's had years to learn what she had to show him. Soon the light calmed down, leaving nothing but a slightly transparent hologram of golden tones.

_“How about now?”_

“It's...better, yeah. Can't you turn into a parrot like your mom?”

_“I've yet to learn how to completely change shape. Best I can do is vague mimicry.”_

And to show it, he turned into Leon's likeness. Well, to his credit, he had the gist of it right, but it was hard to overlook the details that gave away the imposture. Still, it was impressive.

“I suppose no one will look twice if you stay behind me.”

_“Nice. Come on, let's go.”_

Leon put the sun emblem into his pocket, as Tina was making herself comfortable on 'her' bench. They were a bit stiff, but once they were broken in, they were good enough to sleep on, and the Condor was warm enough to not require blankets.

“Be back before evening.”, she said. “Don't talk to strangers. Don't touch ancient artefacts. Don't jeopardize our spending money on useless stuff.”

“I love you too, dearest darling.”

And so the boys went on, as the Condor retreated away in its cloaking shield. After some looking around, Leon headed down a path, to the city and the shore.

It was a peaceful spring day, at busy hours in a small-scale city, which means the streets were a bit hard to navigate through. For the most part, Esteban simply dissipated, letting himself be carried around in his pocket-sized traveling vessel, as Leon took in the sights and scenes of a whole new place. What wide streets!

_“Are you sure we will not stand out? We are foreigners, after all...”_

“Foreigners are chill. Japan's a really touristic place. I mean, have you seen the big castle over there? That alone's gotta bring in a lot of people every year.”

_“If you say so...”_

Still, Leon didn't really feel of a tourism mood today. Instead, he stayed away from densely-packed places, memorizing the path leading to the Condor. Exploring a little, in his own way.

“It's not too different from home, I guess.”

_“From yours perhaps.”_

“Bah, I'm sure Barcelona was like that back in the day. Wasn't it?”

If Esteban still had shoulders, he would have shrugged.

_“I suppose there were many people too. And busy roads, carts going up and down.”_

“See? Same thing here. We just traded horse hooves for engine noises.”

_“That doesn't mean it's not jarring to see.”_

Perhaps. Leon got what he meant, since everything around here was written in Japanese. Street signs, shops, billboards; at that point, he was happy to see some English words here and there. Sadly, he's never been into linguistics, so he couldn't even begin to try Tina's tricks of deciphering ancient runes.

“You've been all over the world, though. I thought you'd be used to it.”

_“Maybe. It's just that...”_

Leon stopped for a moment, sitting on some stairs ramp to watch the street. Talking to himself felt weird, so he fished his old empty flip phone from his pocket to put it to his ear. Let's not draw attention.

“That what?”

_“That I guess I could always have come home, when I felt too jarred. But now my home is no more. Now it's all gone.”_

“That's terrible. But you know, nothing really goes away. It just changes.”

_“Change is not always a good thing.”_

Leon shrugged. He didn't really know about it yet; he's yet to hit that moment in life where everyone expected him to change, to suddenly turn into a teenager like a freshly-hatched butterfly, to become a slave to his own hormones and sudden depressive thoughts. If he could say no thank you to it, he'd happily do it. So far, everything was still good, and he'd like it to remain this way, even though he knew it wouldn't be that easy.

“Guess it just sucks that much to grow up, huh.”

_“I don't know. I never got to grow up.”_

Yikes. Wanting to change subjects, Leon stood up, and tried to think of conversation topics that weren't as bitter.

“So...what's it like, to always be stuck with your mom? Isn't it a bit...Freudian?”

 _“I have grown used to it.”_ , Esteban replied based on his approximation of what 'Freudian' meant. _“We're not in a permanent cohabitation, anyway. I think of it as merely sharing the same house.”_

“But she can see what you're thinking about, right?”

_“We can...share some thoughts, yes. But in the same way as you and I are sharing words right now. We cannot see what we do not want the other to see.”_

“Still, you've got to get on each other's nerves a lot. I share a house with my mom, and it's not always easy. She's always bossing me about grades and housework.”

_“I don't mind not seeing eye-to-eye with her. She's my only company, and we've got to stick together. Since we can see each other's way of thinking, we fight way less often than you'd think.”_

That'd be swell, Leon thought. To see things and thoughts, just like that. To know things without needing to say them, to communicate without speaking. That'd sure save him in many situations. Lost in thought, his eyes drifted up to the sky, which was crossed through with trails of planes.

“Are there...others?”, he asked without much intent.

Esteban didn't answer, but Leon could sense his need of clarification.

“Other Condors. Other...people like you, haunting them.”

_“I've...never thought about it. I know for a fact there are other Golden Condors, and other vehicles as well. It sounds unlikely that there are other lemures, but it wouldn't surprise me.”_

“What do lemurs have to do with this?”

_“What?”_

“What?”

They both paused for a good couple of seconds, before Leon resumed walking and attempted to change subjects.

“Hey, look. We can see the bay from here.”

Indeed, the sound of boats was growing closer. They were close from a little harbor, from which big ferry ships were taking off. What a fancy place! He's never seen such weird boats.

“Ever been on a ship?”

_“I've crossed the Atlantic Ocean, at the beginning of my journey. It's been one difficult voyage that lasted more than five months.”_

“Whoah! Guess we're lucky it took us only two days to cross the Pacific. The Condor sure is something.”

_“It's true that it would have helped tremendously.”_

Leon felt his tone grow a little bitter.

_“Helped the Spanish conquest of almost all the known world, that is. I doubt that would have been a good thing.”_

“Yeah. That's why we've got to protect the secrets of Mu.”

He watched the water from a distance, staying out of the way. His hands got lost in his pockets, where they met the sun emblem, the piece of Olmec glass and some wrappers.

“There's bad people in our time. They'd sell their mother to find such powerful weapons, without a care for what it'd cause. All they want is power.”

_“The greed of mankind knows no bounds, does it?”_

“Doesn't indeed.”

He couldn't help a bitter chuckle.

“You and I? We're keepers of a great secret. If we let anyone have the technologies of Mu, we'd be fucked to no end.”

_“I am glad you understand the scope of our mission.”_

Leon smiled. See? This guy got it. He understood how dangerous it would be to let anyone find the treasures they were meant to protect. He gazed at his medallion, at the mark of his choosing; his mother gave it to him, she told him to always keep it with him at any cost. And from the top of his twelve years of age, he indeed understood it as a sacred mission, something serious to always obey.

She had always told him that keeping it was an important task, but the way she worded it let imply there was something else to it. And now, Leon understood just what it meant, just what power it weighed in the balance of the world.

“Don't worry.”, he said. “We'll make sure it's safe with us. We'll get you to Tibet and fix you up in no time.”

Just needed to figure out how. But as if he got his thought, Esteban reappeared with a smile.

_“That's exactly the kind of spirit I'll need. For right now, I require your help.”_

Leon rose a brow.

“What kinda?”

Esteban turned his eyes to the bay, watching the ferry ships come and go. It's be so much easier to cross the sea to the mainland if the Condor could glide over the water like that.

_“The reason I wanted to bring you here is not simply for a short travel. As you may know, we're kind of stranded here with no map, and we don't know where to go next.”_

“I thought you had an inner map or something?”

_“I do, but it's not that easy. There is a City of Gold nearby, and all the clues of its trail are putting off my sensors.”_

“Why don't we go find it?”

Esteban glanced at him with a smirk.

_“Well, if you want to get to the heart of an active volcano, be my guest.”_

And indeed, Leon froze up. Heh. He'd had the same reaction five hundred years ago, when he's learned of where to find the entrance to Sundagatt.

_“What we need is to travel to the mainland quickly, and then to find our way to the City in Tibet. And while I may not know how...perhaps I know a who.”_

Leon perked out of his defense state, as Esteban continued.

_“You see, a long time ago, I helped a friend in this very place. Now the time's come for them to help me in return.”_

“A friend? You mean...back when you were alive?”

Esteban nodded.

“But...that's...what? You mean, there's a descendant of your old friend?”

_“Not exactly, no.”_

He walked closer to the bay, and Leon followed.

_“After I died, and Zia, Tao and I explored the world some more, we did come back to Japan one time. By then, a strange legend had come to be, one about a mysterious creature that would roam the waters of the bay.”_

“You're friends with mermaids, now?”

Leon watched the water, but found nothing save for the motion of the boats and the ripples of the wind and current. A mysterious creature, right here? Impossible. People would know.

Though...not all that exists can be seen, after all.

_“May I borrow the Sun emblem for a moment?”_

Leon blinked, and took it out of his pocket. Of course, Esteban couldn't hold it, so he just motioned for him to keep it in his hand.

 _“Under the mountain of the Burning Shield, you have found the Great Legacy.”_ , he explained. _“And from it, you obtained a series of codes that I've had the leisure of deciphering over the past two days.”_

“The Legacy's just a big engine. What kind of codes can you obtain from that?”

_“Not all of them are of use to our current situation. However, since you have already cleared through several trials...”_

He paused.

_“Well. Since **Zia** had cleared through several trials, she's gained enough clearance for her medallion to extract relevant information.”_

Leon blinked, trying to make sense of this. He took his medallion in his palm, looking it over.

“You mean...since she's already been to other Cities, she could access stuff from the first one with administrator permissions?”

_“I believe so, yes. Including, an interesting frequency.”_

He gestured for Leon to put his arm up. And he did so, not without feeling a little silly, holding the emblem up.

“And now you want me to be a radio antenna?”, he asked, chuckling.

_“I just need you to hold it up to the light.”_

Slowly, the sun was coming back from behind clouds. Leon let it shine on the piece of machinery, glancing around to make sure he didn't look too stupid.

Welp. Task one: failed.

“What kind of frequency?”

_“One that is reserved for emergencies. Should the Great Legacy come to overheat, it would send a signal warning all vehicles and assimilated devices to stay away. I assume such things exist today?”_

“Wednesday at noon.”, he said like that was self-explanatory. “And Japan's known for its volcano alerts.”

A smidge of doubt struck him.

“Wait. How can you call someone to you with an alert signal? Won't they, like...turn _away_ from it?”

_“That would be the prime directive of their vessel.”_

He smiled, staring at the water.

_“But I know that it wouldn't stop her.”_

Leon couldn't do anything but raise a confused brow, as he let the emblem shine in the light for a good minute. He started lowering his arm, feeling nothing happening, and no blood in his fingers either.

“So...what now? It didn't do anything.”

_“Obviously, it will take a bit of time. But if my senses are right, we will not have to wait very long.”_

He lowered his arm all the way, and let feeling come back slowly.

“So now we just wait here? That's going to take a while.”

_“Maybe for you. I have all the time in the world.”_

Leon rolled his eyes, not feeling up to dealing with his immortal antics.

“Well _you_ can wait here all you want, but I'm going to explore a bit. I wanna try some real Japanese snacks and no friend of yours is going to stop me.”

_“You can leave the emblem in the Condor, I will keep broadcasting the call. See you soon, then.”_

...so he's not going to react? Leon pondered what to do for a moment, but decided to go through with his decision, if only to not look like he was going back on his word.

What a weird guy, that one. But he's seen worse. He's _been_ worse, too; who was he to judge anyone? He hated judging things or people, it just didn't make sense. He minded his own business, and that was all.

He started walking at random, following streets away from the Condor's direction. He didn't have a plan in mind, he just wondered how to pass time. He didn't have the right currency for this country, nor could he be able to communicate his way through beyond anime slang, and he wouldn't stay for long anyway; so why bother? Might as well have fun like he could. His wandering eventually brought him to a little grassy strip between paved streets, and he decided to take a seat on a bench, watching cars and people go by. That was as good waiting as any other, but it sure beat having nothing but the ocean to stare at.

Didn't beat getting something to eat, though. To think he was in the land of sushi and couldn't even grab a bite!

“Suppose it was even harder for you.”, he mumbled. “Heard there was nothing but rats and hardtack to eat, on sailing trips.”

A couple birds were pecking away at some leftovers in the grass; likely fallen chips or breadcrumbs. Ah, to be a pigeon and be able to sustain oneself on nothing but tiny bits and worms! He's eaten a worm, once. Well, he was kind of forced to, and it was a disgusting sight. Tasted like raw sausage and dirt, and wasn't too bad in hindsight.

“Wonder if I could live off worms. Maybe not. I'd need a big load of them every day. But there's a huge load of worms in the world, though.”

He watched the birds eat, bicker, flutter away, come back, undisturbed and uncaring. There was no stopping what couldn't be stopped. There was no changing the cycle of nature: this scene could have taken place in New Mexico as well as Japan, as well as any other place in the world with pigeons, and it was a little reassuring to know he wasn't too lost. Some things were anchored in the world, and he was there to see to it.

“There's a lot of things that don't change. But it's fine by me. What do you think?”

He was keeping his voice low, not keen on being stared at once again. Due to his obvious foreigner looks, he was left alone for the most part, but in all honesty this was for the best. He didn't mingle well with crowds.

“I bet it was the same for you.”

He remembered where they've been a week or so ago. When they've just started exploring this path, sneaking away to catch buses, steal ancient artefacts and then fly away like steampunk Bonnie and Clyde. It felt like so long ago, he could barely picture his own mindstate from back then. In such a short span of time, he's learned so much, and seen so much more.

“Were you...confused, too? Unsure about what to do?”

Thoughtfully, he picked the piece of Olmec glass from his pocket. In this short span of time, he's seen one of the mythical Cities of Gold, one that the entire world was trying to find. He's been where generations of people have dreamed of being, and he's gazed upon wonders that many couldn't even start to fathom. He was one incredibly lucky kid, and all he had to show for it was a shard of glass and a sprain in his neck.

“It was my first time.”, he attempted to justify himself. “I...I didn't know better. It was so big, and I'm so small. I can only do so much before Esteban starts collapsing it all.”

What a weird kid, this guy. Well, he wasn't exactly a kid anymore, but he hadn't grown a lot in five hundred years. He's remained stagnant, unable to move on, like a ghost. Tina said that he'd get better if they repaired the Golden Condor, but he doubted it. It just didn't feel like it'd happen. Maybe Esteban would forever stay bitter and angry, locked in Freudian resentment and spite against humanity like a cliché ghost.

Maybe he wouldn't find rest until they found whoever killed him.

Slowly, he closed his eyes. He let the sounds and feelings come to him, let them fill his mind with so many infos that his eyes just couldn't see. He let the energies of the earth fill his body, let the fire of the volcano warm his heart like magic. When he opened them again, nothing at all had changed; but to him, all the difference has been made. The prince was awake.

“You've been his friend. You've been there. You've seen it happen, I know so.”

A passerby frightened the pigeons, which flew away. There was starting to be more activity going on around town.

“It didn't happen naturally. It couldn't have been an accident. It's never an accident.”

Some landed on the statue nearby, and just kept going at their business. But most quickly returned to searching the area for crumbs and goodies. The piece of glass was rough under his fingers.

“You can tell me. I need to know what happened.”

In a distant street, a construction machine sounded out its warning. Heavy equipment was being moved.

“I know. But I'm ready for it.”

After a moment, more pigeons landed in the grass, searching for food. Leon looked through his pocket, picked whatever crumbs he could find in all the food wrappers in there, and tossed them away. Most pigeons flew away, but a couple stayed and headed his way to see if there were any nummies.

He watched. He watched them intensely as they searched the grass for remains of granola bars and sandwich bread. They didn't come close to him, and it was understandable, but he remained as still as a statue, just watching. Getting the hidden meaning under this scene. There was _always_ a meaning, there was always a hidden clue, a deciphering key. Even when he sounded like a crazy kid, he knew what to look out for, what signs to watch out for.

One of the pigeons nudged away the others. The big one, the one with ruffled feathers and white spots. The one who'd obviously have it all. But the rest of the group still tried their best to peck at crumbs, even if it meant getting in the way.

Leon rose his head, staring at the branches of a tree. They were rustling in the gentle breeze, in the sounds of cars, letting weak sunlight peek through their leaves. And in the dance of leaves and branches, he could see shapes forming, faint illusions of silhouettes giving way to all sorts of possible interpretations. It could be either random chance, or it could have meaning; the choice was in his hands, and he's made it a long time ago.

Shapes merged into other shapes, each more random and complicated than the last; and so they went, forming a story. Images succeeded in his mind, like the pieces of a puzzle that he needed to put together, elements that he needed to find a conductive thread to. So he listened, kept listening to what _she_ was telling him, what she was showing him.

It was a story of battle, a story of loss. The leaves were shifting from a creature's maw, to greedy hands, to menacing smiles, to raised spears, all in a second's width according to the wind, to the sun, to what he was seeing and interpreting. And so on and on, the story wove itself, to the point where it made entire sense to him. It wouldn't to anyone else, but he didn't mind. It would be a secret between the two of them, one only he could decipher. And so he deciphered it, picked apart the meanings and shapes until he knew, until he just _knew_.

No. It wasn't an accident. It's never been an accident.

And yet, there was something he didn't understand. There was something to her story, something that stood out to him. The “goat” was guarding a “treasure”, and even after the “spears” had plunged into its “body”, the “knight” didn't find “it”. What could that mean? It wasn't regret, the story made no mention of “regret”, no such image formed in his mind. What was she trying to tell him?

Struck with a thought, he looked at the pigeons again. And suddenly, they flew away, to take shelter on the edge of a nearby building. He stood up, taking it as a challenge, and the birds just stared in his general direction, completely oblivious to his state of mind.

He didn't like this. Not at all.

“...do you think they're still out there? The goats?”

A stoplight nearby turned green. This gave him all the confirmation he needed.

“Very well. I'll do my best to stop them. To...to avenge him.”

Nothing answered him. He stayed on the lookout for more signs, more hidden messages, but nothing came. So he relaxed, let the lion prince go back to rest, and everything became normal again, even though nothing had changed.

To the eyes of others, that is. But he knew the truth. He knew what no one else knew, and this made him better than anyone who tried to prove him wrong. They may call him crazy or edgy, but he knew better. He just knew.

“Shoganai da. Watashi wa shishioji desu.”

He said that with the intent of sounding cool, but knowing everything meant that he knew every single Japanese person in a 20-mile radius internally cringed at his anime impression.

Oh well. If he wasn't to stay in Japan for long, might as well be a bit of a weeb. Bucket lists, people!

~~~~~

Morning was starting to rise, and the town was waking up very slowly. From their new landing point, the children could see the harbor coming back to life, the first ships being readied for departure. In the corner of the shore they've been waiting in, things were much calmer: nature was still very much present, waves hitting the rocks and trees giving their shade. It was a secluded spot, calm and quiet, and were it not for the horizon, it could have been uninhabited.

And that's exactly why they chose that spot.

Still gleaming from remains of moonlight, Killa was watching the sea ahead, her eyes scouring the bay for signs of activity. Nothing has been spotted yet, but it would only be a matter of time. Next to her, Esteban was touching to the water, his hand passing through the surface without making as much as a ripple. What was he attempting to sense, in all of the great blue under their feet?

“I don't know what we're waiting for.”, Leon sighed. “Can't we just go to the mainland and figure it out?”

 _“Be patient.”_ , Esteban replied. _“It is a long way there. We will need all the help we can get.”_

“I don't get it.”, Tina piped in. “Whom are we waiting for? A ship?”

_“Something like that. But it's best you see it for yourselves.”_

She sighed, crossing her arms. How long would they need to wait here in the cold morning? She was starting to grow restless, for they've done nothing but waiting all of yesterday. It was getting on her nerves, even with all she's said about paths and mattering. She didn't like the passive parts of this plan, that's all. It made her feel useless.

It made her feel like she wasn't going anywhere at all.

After a moment, Killa stood from her contemplation, and turned to her son. He nodded, and stood in turn, eyes on the horizon. Tina perked up, coming down to his level to see what was going on.

“So? Are they coming?”

He smiled at her.

_“We've broadcast the warning signal all night. And now, I think we just got a response!”_

Leon looked up, keeping an open ear.

“...I don't hear it.”

_“It's not an audible frequency. It is...it's like the...how do you call it? The radar waves?”_

“Radio waves. That'd make sense, though...did it say something?”

_“I think so. But I couldn't translate it into words even if I wanted to.”_

“Also makes sense.”

She looked up at the skyline of the city. Antennas were perking from the top of buildings, ready to catch hints of satellite signals.

“What if it gets picked up?”, she asked. “If it's a radio wave, it's got to be caught on radios.”

_“Would that mean danger?”_

“We've got to stay hidden. Not be noticed, you know?”

_“That means we have to act fast, before people notice something strange is going on.”_

Oh, they will notice alright, Tina thought. They always notice. Even when they can't make sense of it, they'll speculate and try to make heads or tails of the slightest signs of anything supernatural or unexplained. Years later, there'd be theories about this mysterious signal and what it meant; and even though most would look to the sky and wonder about other lives in the universe, her eyes would remain on the ocean, where every mystery once emerged from.

Esteban noticed her staring at the horizon, at where ships were already starting to come. Which of these was meant for them? Which of these would lead her to her destiny, to her sworn goal? Eagerly she waited, not knowing what to wait for, but knowing it was right around the corner; and that made him smile.

_“You're watching for ships.”_

“Am I not supposed to? You said it'd be a ship.”

_“In a sense, yes.”_

His hand guided her eyes lower.

_“But here is where you should look.”_

To the water. To the surface, as if she were scouting for fish in a river. She rose a brow, not knowing what to make of it; was he messing with her? She was about to retaliate something, but her train of thought got interrupted when she noticed.

She could see fish indeed, swimming in peace. But suddenly, they've changed course, going further into the bay. The moss and seagrass was moving as well, pushed by all this motion. She stepped closer, careful to not slip on the rocks, and when her land rested on the ground, she felt it. A slight vibration.

There was something in the water. Something dark...something big. Something huge, and it was coming closer! She tried to step away, but neither Esteban nor Killa had moved. And so she waited with bated breath, as the water got pushed further inland by the motions of what was arriving.

She's seen a few koi carps in ponds around town, and she thought it funny that they were big cousins of ordinary goldfish. How could the tiny thing in Leon's bowl at home actually be a carp? And now, seeing this gigantic thing advance towards them, she wondered how in the world it could even be anything close to a fish.

It was covered in moss and lichen, as if it had laid to rest somewhere and nature had grown over it. Its bumpy head was covered in patches of barnacles like an old ship, or like a reverent whale. Slowly it rose from under the surface, and the sun revealed its golden sheen, unmistakable even under the marine plants and animals covering it.

It slowly moved forward, as if it were docking. Tina could see its huge fins as well, large branches of gold that have been spared by vegetation. What...kind of creature was it? It didn't look like a fish. A sea dragon? She had no idea, but she definitely took a picture of it with shaky, damp hands. The thing rose two appendages, that she saw to be antennae; they wriggled around for a moment, before standing back straight, as more of the creature's (?) body floated up to the surface.

“Is that…?”, Tina breathed.

Esteban nodded. Slowly, a metal pane shifted and pulled back, revealing a glass dome. It was foggy and slightly cracked, but she could see the insides of a pilot's cabin not unlike that of the Condor's.

And there was no one in there.

Esteban carefully touched to the golden vehicle, letting his light ripple over its windshield. Water was dripping from it, glistening under the sun, turning it into a shimmering creature straight out of a fantasy story. Yet it made no move in the water, and Tina saw that where water would have been dripping down, it was instead dripping _up_.

_“I would like to introduce you to an old friend: the Thallios.”_

The “water” formed up over the glass dome, and shaped itself into a short column of blue light. Soon it grew arms, sculpted itself a face; and before they knew it, the kids were facing a translucent silhouette.

“That's fucking magic.”, Leon gasped.

_“Better: it's science.”_

The blue woman was gently waving under an unseen current, her hair and dress floating in the air. It was as if water had been given shape through unknown means, the same way Esteban and Killa used light to form their bodies. Was it the science of the people of Mu? Just how advanced were these people?!

She looked at the welcoming committee, and politely bowed in that deep Eastern manner, speaking what Tina knew to be a greeting in Japanese. She was about to say that language barrier would be a bit of a problem; but that's when Esteban replied, in a language that didn't sound like Japanese at all. And the figure did so as well, using of words and sounds that Tina's never heard before.

The two of them talked for a moment, ignoring everything else going on around. Tina turned to Killa, confused, and the moon woman smiled.

_“This is the language of Atlantis. It is very ancient.”_

“Weird. Where did Esteban learn that?”

_“The same way you learned the language of Mu.”_

But...she didn't. That was the whole point. She just looked at these two, perplexed, and decided to forget it.

After a minute or so of conversation, Esteban turned to the group again.

_“Lady Shinju greets you, medallion bearers. She will guide us along the coast to a meeting point; there, we'll meet a relay that'll guide us directly to the City of Gold.”_

“Are all your friends so...uh...luminous?”

He grinned a bitter grin.

_“Only those that survived.”_

And so the group went on. The Thallios dived back into the sea, waiting along the bay, and Tina and Leon climbed aboard the Condor. Morning had risen some more, enough to let them take off; the sea dragon bolted ahead of them, and Tina simply followed the signal it was sending. Unmistakable and true, like magnetism: the Thallios was so much faster, and this magnet-like pull brought them to a higher speed as well. She tried to hold the Condor still through it, but none of her commands worked; so she let go, and simply let it happen, a little relieved.

They'd get there. In no time they'd get there, and they'd see it. This time, no way she'd miss it!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh hey look, it's Lady Shinju from [Entre la Mer et le Ciel](https://archiveofourown.org/works/19977988).
> 
> It's all connected, I tell you! Tout est lié!!


	22. Progress

“...so.”, said Leon after a moment of watching through the window. “We're...currently being guided by a giant golden sea slug.”

“Seems like so.”

“And it's leading us to where again, now?”

“We're somewhere along the coast of China.”, Tina replied, checking on the internal map. “Currently heading southwest.”

“And we've all accepted it?”

“Yep.”

“...huh.”

He walked away from the window, sitting back on his seat. 

“I guess it's pretty weird when I say it like that.”

“There's been weirder things happening to us. It's been a hectic week.”

Letting her eyes drift from the road for a moment, she looked up at the slight clouds of noon.

“I wonder how they're doing at home. Maybe they're still looking for us.”

“No ransom or fingers in the mail, they've likely stopped. And assumed we're dead.”

“I bet Celia's suing the museum like a crazy Karen at this point.”

“Hey, she's not a Karen. Give her that at least.”

“Yeah, right. She's more of a Becky.”

“Listen there, psych-oranges. I'm _not_ going down in history as Leon, son of Becky. So you take back what you said about my mom, right now.”

“Alright, alright. She's neither a Karen nor a Becky, she's a whore. Which makes you Leon, son of a whore.”

“Thank you. That's better.”

He took a tone of satisfaction, and noticed Esteban watching them.

“What can I do for you, Esteban, son of the Moon?”, he asked haughtily.

_“Do you really speak of your own mother with these words?”_

“Bah, we know it's not mean. I like my mom, really.”

“Cause she smothers you in gifts.”

“Can it, psych-oranges.”

_“I struggle to understand your way of speaking. What is that about oranges?”_

Tina sighed, glancing away.

“Just that my name sounds like a kind of orange. And I hate oranges.”

_“Why so? They're a precious fruit.”_

She shrugged. 

“Today they're very common. You can buy a whole pound of them at the store for a couple bucks. And they're nasty.”

She then glanced at Esteban, who was staring ahead in disbelief. Ah, right.

“A lot of things that were rare in your time are pretty common now. Salt, spices, exotic fruits...can find them very easily at any store.”

“That's because the climate is warming up, so you can grow citrus pretty much anywhere. They've got tons of them in Florida.”

“And industrialization. Fast transportation means you can ship anything from anywhere in a short time. You can keep cold things cold for months on end, and fresh things fresh for...a bit less time, but it's possible to get fresh fruit from the other end of the world before it ripens.”

“Everything's made by machines now, so it's fast and cheap.”

“And let's not forget synthetic products. My shirt's purple, but it cost next to nothing to dye, because it's all man-made products.”

“And then there's-”

_“I get it, okay!? I get it. Everything's changed, everything's shiny new and better, and this world is perfect. Can I get a moment to take it all in?”_

Tina couldn't help a slight smile. It was kind of cute how amazed he was at things; she's always wondered what it'd be like to show the world to someone from the past, and now she had a golden occasion, pun intended. But she knew it was pretty heart-aching for him too, since all he knew and valued was gone. Even though it was a relatively good thing, it'd still feel groundbreaking for someone living in relative scarcity.

“That doesn't mean everything has changed, you know.”, she tried to reassure him. “There's still rare things. Not everyone is living the best of lives.”

_“That doesn't make sense.”_

“I know. I don't understand it either.”

She sat a little upper.

“But the world isn't so different. Everything's pretty much the same, just...more modern.”

_“That makes even less sense!”_

“I'm trying my best. But this isn't easy to explain. I wasn't there, you're not exactly here, so it's hard to say what changed and what didn't. But a lot changed, that's all I know.”

Esteban sighed, and retreated in a cloud of light that dissipated soon. Guess he wasn't in the mood, and it made sense. 

Oh, well. She's tried. Instead, she decided to turn her attention onto the Condor's screen, reading what it displayed with an increasing knowledge of the language.

For about an hour now, it's been flashing strange lines of text that she didn't pay a lot of mind to. But since it'd still be a long way to their destination and because her phone was currently charging, she decided to have a little practice in the meantime. 

Let's see. Five symbols of the higher alphabet, the one commonly translated in all caps, and some squiggles underneath that were the equivalent of cursive. The higher alphabet was pretty simple, there were about thirty or so signs from what she knew. Where it became harder was as to whether they were meant to be read literally or figuratively. 

She tried holding Tao's book again, running her fingers over a page at random to get great-great-something-grandpa's advice. But it didn't help her much, for the guy's head was a big mess of emotions, none of which helped her for the time being. Well, seems she'd do it on her own, with her own research notes. 

Se – ta – ka – ni – shan. Respectively…“sun”, “metal”, no idea, this one was maybe “hand”, and “sea”. If she were to read them literally…“the sunny metal hands something to the sea”? Made no sense, made her feel dumb, likely wasn't it. Then it had to be another level of reading.

Mu language was very abstract. Everything had a first and a second sense, and this polysemy gave a lot of meanings to a seemingly simple sentence. She had to think of it like Chinese poetry, even though she spoke no Chinese. 

The sun. What did it mean, abstractly? The sun was...light, heat. A giant gas ball in space. High up, where we can never reach it. It blinds those who look at it. Perhaps something to do with sight? No, it'd have been “eye” instead or something. Ugh, this was more complicated than she thought. She looked up at the clouds, where rain was threatening to peek; but that's about when Esteban did that weird light ripple thing, and the clouds changed direction to let the sun shine.

The Condor got a little faster, light shining on its hull. Powered by sunlight, it'd go quicker. In a jolt of inspiration, it struck her: energy! The people of Mu used sunlight to power all their machinery, so “sun” was synonymous with “energy”! She scribbled it down in a corner. 

Right. She mustn’t think of things from her twenty-first century perspective. She had to put herself in the shoes of someone from the times of Mu, and think like they did. Carefully, she put her hand on the Condor's dashboard, and tried to put on said shoes. 

Energy. Next was “metal”: refined from the earth, used to build complex structures. Metal, energy...energized metal...battery? No, they didn't exist. The metal itself was the battery...it stored energy, deep down in its golden cells...stored the sun's energy, like- orichalcum! The “sun metal”, the “energy structure”, was orichalcum. These first two symbols combined referred to orichalcum, and by extension to the machine. 

Then there was that unknown sign. It kind of looked like a spiral, but she couldn't be sure. A spiral...the wind? Birds, metal energy birds, the Condor? No, the wind had its own sign, and it referred to something else. Something that goes round and round...whirlpools? Thoughts? Space? Life and death, in an endless cycle? Likely it was something religious in meaning. 

“Hand”. Hands...grab, touch, feel, hold. They can use tools, pick things, and connect with things. Tina was right now using her hands to try to connect to the Condor, like a sixth sense picking up cues she's never know existed before. Were all Mu people able of magic? She couldn't ignore the possibility. She wanted to lean towards “sense”, but something didn't feel right. Something told her “connect”, and she decided to trust it.

And finally, the sea. The ocean is vast, it's full of water. It's placid sometimes, but has dangerous waves. It's everywhere, separates everything. It's a nexus to the world. It carries ships, people, merchandise. People like Mu likely had big fleets, big boats. With vehicles like the Thallios and the Solaris, they'd make nothing of the ocean. The sea wasn't an obstacle, but something to use. Something that can be ridden, traveled, explored. And since they were islanders, the ocean was their only link to other nations and people. Something that...connects them? No, wait, she already had “connect”. Unless she got it wrong.

Uh...energy, metal, spiral thingy, connect, connect. No, wait, perhaps some were meant to be read together, like Chinese characters? “Energy” and “metal” meant “machine”, so perhaps “hand” and “sea” meant...directly connecting? Getting hands deep into it? Reaching out to one another, and then...establishing the connection?

Again, it came in a jolt. Her tech-used mind filled in the blanks: the “machines” have established a “connection”. The machines...the Condor and the Thallios had successfully linked together! That message was basically a Bluetooth notification!

Like she's unlocked a clue in a video game, the gray areas around the rest of the message fell. This time, she could clearly make sense of the five characters: “ _The connection between the two machines has been established_ ”. That third one, the spiral, meant something like “soul”; she knew it now. The souls of the machines have established this temporary bond, to help one another during this crossing. And now, it made perfect sense.

_“Sah, sah. Kai tabe se.”_

She blinked. Did Esteban just speak again? It didn't sound like his voice, and yet it sounded out in a corner of her head as usual.

“...what?”

Leon didn't pay her mind, busy on his tablet. The voice then came back again, and it was neither Esteban's nor Killa's.

_“Ah, my sorries. Speak is not most perfect.”_

“Uh...who's there?”

Something flashed on her screen, and she read it with a raised brow. Another connection has been established. She wanted to investigate it, but the moment she did so, something seemed to leak out of her screen.

Water dripped up in that eerie fashion, slipping over glass and gold to reform in a silhouette. She watched, mesmerized, as it rose like an inverted waterfall and have shape again to this woman's form, the one with long robes and hair. The lady from earlier! What was her name, again?

“Um...hi.”, she tried. “You're from the Thallios, right? Lady...ah, Esteban said your name, but I'm not-”

“Lady Shinju.”, said Leon, without raising his eyes from his game. “Hi.”

The watery woman nodded with a smile.

_“And you are little pahicaal. Is good see you.”_

It sounded like she was translating her desired words before speaking them, through some crummy online translator that hasn't been reviewed in a long while. She didn't want to wonder what a “pahicaal” was, in case it wasn't very polite.

“What may I do for you?”, she attempted. “For you to come up here...”

Blink.

“Wait. If you're here, who's piloting the Thallios?”

_“Me. What see you, thought not true form. Eye is underneath, speak and ears in above with your presence.”_

Uh...alright. That likely meant that lemures could project only part of their senses, so that Lady Shinju could still see the road ahead of them while speaking to Tina. Maybe. That was hard to get.

 _“I connect your efforts.”_ , she continued. “ _Learn you the words of imperial Mu, yes?”_

“I'm...trying to. But it's not very easy for the moment.”

She looked at the screen, at the cursive which was still hard to read.

“It's a dead language. I can't go much further than that.”

_“Ability is need for progress. Sense you trouble. Need you learn it.”_

“I mean, I know.”

All these runes that hadn't given their secrets yet. All these carvings that were still a mystery. All these messages that she couldn't read, and that she ached to understand.

_“But a luck is you. Pahicaal want instructor; and am.”_

She put a hand on her own chest, and it conveyed the meaning better than words.

“You mean...you'd teach me?”, Tina blinked.

Nod.

_“In time of life, be Sage. Teaching pahicaals the knows, the ways. Help become nacaals and know the alls. Help you is appropriate.”_

“I...I don't know what to say. Really.”

She felt a little flustered at the offering. An ancient sage of the times of Mu, helping her directly to read and understand a dead language? What kind of luck was that!? What kind of honor was it?

“Is it...really alright for me?”, she asked, unsure. “I mean, I...it's a great honor. I'm not sure I'm worth it...”

“Can it, dude.”, Leon sighed, still fixated on his game. “You're like, the one person who's most committed to this Mu thing. So listen to the lady and become a naca-whatever. You're not graduating middle school anyway.”

...well. He wasn't exactly wrong on this point. Chances were her whole future was already jeopardized, so it was best she dove headfirst into the business of Mu studies. If her life was to be consecrated to the Cities of Gold...well, it made sense.

_“There is rain soon. Sunbird lands on ground. That time, you come to me and I show your eyes.”_

“Esteban, will you be fine with that?”

No response for a time. Guess the line was busy for the time being; but she'd ask him when they land anyway, so it was fine.

“I suppose...I have to accept.”

_“Yes. Ally mine talks not the modern, only imperial Mu. I can demonstrate how to comprehend.”_

“That'd be an honor for me, Lady Shinju.”

She held Tao's book closer to her. She couldn't believe what was happening, but here it was: she's become an apprentice. Could this day get any better?

~~~~~ 

_This day would never get any better._

_Sitting in the shade of a tree, their feet touching to the sunkissed grass, Tao and Zia were going over the content of a book they've obtained: an elaborate encyclopedia illuminated with drawings and golden inlays, written all over in a rich ancient script. She was reading slowly, voicing out foreign syllables in a hesitant accent, not tired in the slightest even after hours of studying it._

_“Kathe na…she kaehe sa...sama...”_

_“Sa-ma-hai.”_

_“Kaehe samahai, ka...rahe paorha.”_

_She looked up with a smile, and Tao applauded her._

_“You're doing great! Soon you'll read it like it's natural.”_

_“I still have a lot to learn...”, Zia sheepishly replied. “I have trouble with grammar.”_

_“I'll admit it's a little complicated, but you're progressing there too. It's very easy once you get the hang of it.”_

_She nodded, accepting his praise. Already the language of Mu was starting to look less scary, and a little closer to her grasp. She wasn't a great conversationalist just yet, but she could already read and understand most symbols, and it was a start. A way to feel closer to a culture that, after all, was hers too._

_“Do you want to practice your writing, next?”_

_“That would be great. But how about we get something to eat, first? It might be easier to study on a full stomach.”_

_“Is it already this late? I didn't even see time pass...”_

_Tao stood up, stretching his arms. Zia followed, and her hand touched to his waist._

_“Time flies so fast when it's spent with you.”, she smiled._

_He smiled in turn, and returned her tender touch. Goodness, this girl had such a way to get to him. He was about to say something on the same wavelength, but that's when Pichu piped in._

_“Hi, Esteban! Hi there!”_

_Tao blinked, and turned around. Indeed, up in the branches of the tree, a flustered light ghost had just been spotted._

_“Wh- what are you doing up there!?”, Tao asked. “Were you spying on us?”_

_“Not at all!”, Esteban protested, trying to shoo Pichu away. “Why, can't I sit in trees, now?”_

_Zia sighed a little._

_“We told you. If you want to join us, just do so. You can learn the language of Mu too, you know!”_

_The boy sighed, and landed back on the ground, letting the parrot fly through him and disrupt his form._

_“I don't want it to be weird...”_

_“It's not weird, Esteban. It's how things are, and we're all aware of them.”_

_Liars, he thought to himself. How could it not be weird? He was still a kid and these two were already young adults, how could it be reasonable for them to still hang out together?_

_“...well, I can't learn new things now.”, he attempted. “I'm dead, what use will I have for them?”_

_Again, they cringed at his words. What? Had they not accepted the truth, as they so boldly claimed? If they were soooooo at ease with it, that shouldn't be a problem, right?_

_“...right.”, Zia said, trying to reply. “But...you can still do things with us, so why don't you? Let's fly to town.”_

_“I don't want to go to town.”, he answered._

_“Then what do you want, then?”, Tao sighed. “Do you even know it?”_

_He didn't. But that wasn't supposed to matter, was it? Nothing mattered. Nothing made sense, he was just going along with it, no matter how much it hurt._

_“I don't.”_

_“Well then, figure it out.”_

_He sighed, and started walking away. Zia glanced between the boys, and gave Esteban a sorry look, before starting to follow._

_“Yeah, right.”, the latter gritted between his teeth. “Just leave me here, like you always do.”_

_But maybe he said it too loudly, for Tao heard it and turned around._

_“Sun's sake, Esteban! What do you want?! You stalk us but don't want to hang out, you act all broody and then complain we leave you behind! Make up your mind, damn it!”_

_“Don't say that!”, Zia protested. “He's confused, don't you see it?”_

_“I've seen it too much. What **is** with you, dude?! Why do you have to break the mood every time!?”_

_“I'm not!”, Esteban huffed, his light flaring up. “You're the one who's breaking it!”_

_“Oh, so it's my fault, now?! Is it me who always brings up the fact that you're dead? For a ghost, you sure don't act like it!”_

_“Stop it!”_

_Zia violently grabbed Tao's arm._

_“Don't say that ever again! That's not a good thing to say, ever!”_

_But Esteban's impulsion has already been triggered._

_“Admit it.”, he coldly said. “You'd like it better if I were dead, don't you?”_

_“And you too!”, Zia called out. “When will you stop with that, already!? We know that it's difficult for you, but that's no reason to always rub it in our faces!”_

_“Oh, for you think you're not rubbing anything into my face? Acting all loving with one another, enjoying a life I don't have anymore!?”_

_“Don't say that! You have **no right** to say that!”_

_Her own anger was flaring up, for the ground gave the tiniest of tremors. She was starting to cry, and maybe noticed it, for she took a step back._

_“...it's hard enough as it is, Esteban. What is it that you **want**? Do you want us to mourn you forever, pretend you're gone while you're still here?”_

_“That's...that's not what I meant!”_

_At the sight of her tears, he knew he's gone too far. His light calmed down, and the grass under his feet stopped smoking, but the damage has already been done._

_Tao carefully let Zia rest on his shoulder, as he shot Esteban a dark look. Zia didn't say anything, looking away, and he spoke for her._

_“You can't expect us to give up on life.”, he said, trying to stay calm. “Things move on. People move on. Why don't you?”_

_Esteban tried to answer, to say anything to that, but found himself unable to speak. It was as if his words have been stolen from his nonexistent throat. So Tao simply turned around, Zia following, and walked away._

_“Esteban...”, Pichu crooned sadly. “Esteban gone.”_

_He tried to land on his shoulder, but passed right through; instead, he kept on flying, to catch up to his alive friends. And once again, Esteban remained there, unable to move or say anything._

_He wanted to cry. But his tears were long gone._


	23. Duet

Leon sighed, drawing his eyes way from the ocean. Nothing from this side either. This journey was bound to be rather boring, if all he was good for was waiting around for someone else to take him where he needed to be.

Casually, he picked up some leaves from a plant and started weaving them together. The wind was warm and salty, making grass rustle on this little mossy rock off the coast of Vietnam, where they've stopped for the time being. The sun would be setting down soon, and he was starting to be hungry, but for now he needed most of all to have a walk. Hours on end in this crummy Condor never helped anything. 

There were some people in the distance, likely tourists going home. If they spoke any English, maybe he could hit up a chat, but he didn't know how to proceed. So he just ignored that potential relief from his solitude, and sat down to contemplate the sea below, like a sight that'd hold true no matter what part of the world he was in. He picked up a pebble and let it fall down, where it landed in the water in a muted splash he didn't even hear.

“At least _she's_ having fun.”, he sighed.

For a couple hours now, Tina's left his company to resume traveling with the Thallios and its ghost, and learn some more about that ancient language she claimed to read now. Well, someone had to stay behind and keep an eye on the Condor, so it'd be him. He wasn't a great pilot just yet, but Esteban had most of it under control, so his intervention wasn't very needed. And so, the trip resumed in a boring road trip mood, one that he was starting to grow tired of.

Waiting. Waiting, traveling, pestering the Condor's dusty speed and inefficient flight, all for the sake of helping it. And then, who'd help _them_ , huh? Maybe Tina found it nice, but he thought otherwise. What was in it for him? He already had superpowers, he already knew who he was. He could shear away an entire mountain with his thoughts alone if he desired so, for he was the unstoppable lion prince! No need for him to go on a life-changing journey. Those were overdone, anyway. 

No sight of anything in the sky either. What were they even waiting for? He wasn't sure he's got it, or maybe he just hadn't listened. Or maybe he didn't care. Everything was starting to look bland and same to him. He was too bored to care, he hadn't slept properly in a good while and he'd give anything for a warm meal. Ugh, the life of a Chosen One sure sucked.

“Hey, Esteban, think you can warm up some nuts for us?”, he asked.

But the ghost didn't answer. He was perched on the unseen Condor's head, staring at the sky. Leon called again, louder, but nothing came of it. Psht, what a loser! He turned around and started walking down a path, not liking feeling ignored.

“I swear. That guy's too weird for me.”

Honestly, he's seen weirder. This could be from one of his dreams, or one of his pattern visions. If Esteban had a pattern himself, it was a convoluted one, one he couldn't read easily. Usually, everything made sense, but this guy escaped the notion of “sense” altogether. And it was infuriating. 

There was no one around on this part of the coast. Only dirty sand, rocks and some plants. He hesitated for a moment, glancing around, before letting the beast out and going down on all fours. He could feel his tail growing in, his fur breaking out of his clothes, his face turning into a dangerous beast's snout. His senses growing sharper, or at least the illusion of it. But he didn't care, for it was what he wanted. What he could do.

Even though nothing had changed, it still felt different. Everything felt different, like he was in a dream. He walked closer to the water, nudged it with his “paw”, felt the wetness on his palm and the saltiness on his tongue, and the rest quickly took over. Without knowing why, he flopped down on his side, letting the sand itch at him and the water lap at his arm, knowing fully well he'd get wet and dirty like a kid in a mudfight. But he didn't care. Did anyone care about him? No one ever did. It was all an illusion, so in this world, only illusions could be real. And he'd prove it.

“Hey there. You, uh...you're here?”

He watched the sea for a response. He watched the shape of the sea foam as it licked at his fingers, the splash of water on his clothes, the motion of the waves under the dusky sky. If she was that powerful, that in touch with nature, she'd be everywhere, right? No one ever truly dies. Especially not her. Not when what she had was still alive within him.

He flopped on his back, and the water got in his hair. He ignored the weird feeling, and instead focused on what it meant. He felt himself getting submerged, washed over by the tide, yet standing strong and calm against everything. For he was strong, he was a part of things as much as they were a part of him. It's basic magic, and the both of them knew it.

Water gently lapped at his face, like a dog's friendly lick. He smiled, knowing this was a positive response.

“Heya. It's been...a while, I guess?”

With all this time spent up in the air, he's barely got time to practice feeling the earth. What he was after was harder than linguistics or psychometry, but if Tina had her secrets, so did he. 

“...I'll be honest. Did you ever feel like a useless third wheel, too? Because I sure do.”

Some more water hit him in the face, like someone flicked it at him. 

“What? It's true! She's doing all the work, all I'm good for is...sitting in the back and asking when we're getting there. And I'm usually not aware of what I do, so for it to be noticeable…!”

He knew it was Tina's quest, not his own. He never asked to come along. Although he's proven to be needed, it was more for his medallion than for anything else. Fuck, even Diaspro wasn't aware of his existence, and that had felt a bit insulting.

A bird flew up in the sky, followed by another. Both headed in the same direction, but one seemed to be trailing behind.

“I know, I know...but that sucks. Maybe that's because I've already completed my journey.”

The tide washed over him, and he quickly sat up to not get it in his nose.

“I mean it! I already know all I have to know!”

To prove it, he got his claws out, and hacked away at an invisible enemy. It quickly fell apart into a million tiny pieces, and he retracted his claws like a badass furry ninja.

“See? I can do that.”

But no reaction came out of it. In his wet clothes and silly looks, he suddenly felt very awkward.

“...yeah. I guess...that doesn't count if it's not real.”

He sighed. How come Tina had all the _real_ magic and he had none? Spited, he let the lion prince go back to rest, muting the powers down.

But to his surprise, she still spoke to him.

The water thrust up, and filled the slight groove his body had carved in the sand. Intrigued, he went to look it over, and sloshed the sandy water around with his hand. He brought it up, and saw that among the sand grains caught on his fingers, one was a lovely round, white pebble. He held it up to the sky, to the pale moon, and that's when he noticed it. 

In the sky, something dark was slithering. Something unmistakably real. And it made him smile.

“I mean...I _did_ find the first City.”, he recalled. “I know the rules.”

He watched the dark thing come closer, slowly, like a long bird. It was moving their way, he knew it.

“There's unspoken rules to everything. Tina's too factual to know them, and Esteban has a serious case of not-give-a-fuckitis. These guys need me, don't they?”

He tossed the pebble into the ocean, and it landed in the most elegant of splashes. He grinned wide. 

“Tell you what, nana Zia. I'm glad I got to know you.” 

He gave his medallion a tiny high-five, and ran to the Condor.

Esteban seemed to have woken from his contemplative trance, for he was watching the sky as well. The snake was drawing loops and patterns in the clouds as it was going down, like a dance of sorts that brought the wind along. It started to get cold as well, and Leon's wet state didn't help. The Thallios was coming back up from the sea, just as the creature was landing down in front of the Condor. And Great Sages, was it huge!

It wasn't just any snake. It was China's iconic, emblematic, _the_ snake. Complete with horns, spine thorns, whiskers and clawed feet. And it was smiling with its big fanged mouth, as if it was happy to see them.

Well, likely happy to see the Thallios. When the two metal beasts caught sight of one another, they immediately rushed to greet each other with a little dance of sea and sky. It dawned on Leon that they were both some kind of dragon, so it made sense as to how they knew each other. Maybe. He wasn't too sure of how it worked.

“You know this guy?”, Leon asked Esteban.

 _“We've met a good while ago.”_ , he nonchalantly said. _“Don't think I ever got his name, though.”_

He squinted a little.

_“He knew how to trigger my vertigo like no one else.”_

“That's rough.”

When the sky and sea dragons finished their little greeting dance, the long one floated over to the Condor's rock. He too seemed quite old, the sheen of gold covered in a thin layer of sediment. But he fared much better than the Thallios, as seen by the lack of mossy plants growing on it. It had actual, moving eyes that stared at the boy for a moment, and it made him a little uncomfortable.

 _“Nice to see you again.”_ , Esteban greeted. _“But I'm not the one you want.”_

He looked at Leon, whose medallion was starting to glow. Huh...it's never done that before. The dragon blinked, as if understanding, and circled the Condor like a python snaring a prey, ready to depart.

“So that's her contact.”, said Tina, walking up to join them. “I wasn't really expecting...why are you so wet!?”

“You wouldn't get it.”, Leon shrugged.

_“Well either way, we can't go now. Night is about to fall.”_

Indeed, the sky was getting darker by the minute, which meant that their flight would likely be impossible. 

“So what? Do we wait until morning?”, Leon huffed.

Esteban looked around. At his friends, at the dragons, at the Condor. And then, he sighed in resignation.

_“You guys go first. The Dragon will lead you to our destination overnight. I'll join you first thing in the morning.”_

“That's insane!”, Tina protested. “How will you find us?”

_“I've been there, remember? I'll find it.”_

“How will you do so without a pilot?”

 _“I'm not useless yet, thank you very much.”_ , he huffed. _“I can fly on my own.”_

“That still is very risky...”

“But that means we'll have a headstart on getting to the City. We can't neglect that.”

The Dragon huffed some air from its nostrils, and Tina turned around. She attempted to speak with it, in a limited vocabulary and hesitant pronunciation of Mu's language for beginners, and somehow seemed to get a meaning from the vehicle's beastly vocalizes. 

“...what's he say?”, Leon asked.

“Not too sure. But I think he won't be able to wait all night long. He said something about...energy?”

“If it doesn't run on solar, maybe it has batteries.”

_“Another reason why you should go now.”_

Leon looked at the Dragon. It seemed rather small compared to the other two beasts, and didn't have any seats.

“Do we just...ride it?”

“Don't tell me you never had a horse phase.”

Still slowly, she introduced herself and the team to the newcomer. He took a moment to glance over them, and huffed again. Gently, the tip of his snout touched to Tina's head, and that made her giggle.

“So, you got a boyfriend now?”, Leon teased.

“Don't be stupid!”, she chuckled. “We're fellows. He's a researcher, like me.”

She gently caressed the Dragon's snout like a horse's.

“Well, was.”

From the corner of his eye, Leon saw Esteban cringe slightly.

“Either way, we've got to go.”, she continued. “Fu Zang is fast enough to get us to Tibet in a couple of hours. I'll grab my backpack, we'll leave the rest in the Condor. You'd better change into dry clothes, too, or you'll get cold.”

“If you can only take off at morning, when do you think you'll come?”

_“It will take me longer than a couple of hours. But I'll do my best.”_

“Don't burn yourself out.”

Leon gently pat the bird's beak, as Tina went in to grab her stuff. Down by the sea, the Thallios was slowly backing down into the water, going back home after this long journey. From the Condor's open head, Tina leaned over the edge and called out to it.

“ _Nasareka!!_ Thank you again!”

The sea dragon raised its antennae as to wave, before the whole of its body disappeared into the depths of the ocean. Leon couldn't help waving as well, because such an encounter sure wouldn't appear again anytime soon.

“I sure wonder what else we're going to see on this path...”

_“That's all the thing about the Cities of Gold. You never know what you're going to find.”_

He nodded. 

Time to go. Tina sat on the Dragon's back, grabbing onto its horns firmly; Leon sat behind her, arms nervously wrapped around one of its thorns. The beast squirmed like a sea serpent, raising up in the air under the growing light of the moon. Its whole body started to warm up, contrasting with the cold air of the night, and then it _thrust_ forward and threw itself into the sky. 

Leon looked back, saw the island growing smaller and smaller as they reached the mainland, and the Condor with it. He waved at it, even though it was too far away from sight, making a mental promise that they'd see each other again.

Wait, they would. So why was he worried? It was nothing. He readjusted himself, held on tight to fight this rollercoaster of a ride, and proceeded to bitterly regret having no horseback experience whatsoever as the two of them rode on into the night. 

~~~~~ 

About 700 miles away from the Vietnamese coast, in the late hours of the evening, a plane was landing down at Chengdu International Airport. Stifling a long-recurrent yawn, Professor Desvilles casually proceeded out, happy to walk some after such a long flight. Luckily, her fatigue wouldn't be dealt with alone, for a few people were expecting her. A cab was waiting for her right at the exit, and she eagerly got in.

“Glad to see you again, Headmaster.”, her assistant greeted. “How was your journey?”

“I suppose it could have been better.”, she sighed. “All this traveling is making me fell ill. I would be more than happy to never sit on such uncomfortable seats anymore.”

He nodded, clasping his hands together.

“Was the...harvest especially good?”

“Oh, cease your theatrics, Emrys. I am too tired for this.”

Yet she did search her bag, to pull out a small USB key.

“James has sent me his early report, along with some other findings. You shall find the gist of it here.”

“Magnificent!”, the little man grinned, taking it like a precious treasure. “You never cease to amaze me, Headmaster. How do you manage?”

Desvilles simply chuckled like a dame.

“Hard work and dedication, my dear.”

She checked her watch. Was it already this late? Oh, well, she could catch some sleep during the next phase of their trip. It would be a few hours before they arrived at their destination, anyway.

“I have already booked a hotel for tonight.”, Emrys assured. “We shall depart for Lhasa first thing in the morning.”

“Good, good. I hate wasting my time.”

“How can you be so sure we will find what we seek there?”

“Sablier has eyes all over the world. The Shalou University in Shanghai has recently shared a very interesting report that brought my attention to this part of the world. It also coincides with other archeological findings pointing in the same direction. If this factory truly exists, then anything it creates will be in our reach.”

“I see. And Washington will be wanting to pay good money for it.”

“Washington, Paris, Tokyo, even Pyongyang if they feel like it! As we say, money has no smell.”

Emrys nodded, but looked away. Sometimes, this woman was truly terrifying in her complacency. 

“There is one thing I do not understand.”, he said. “This region has been searched thousands of times over centuries, and nothing has ever been found. What makes us more likely to succeed?”

“For starters, we are looking in the right direction. We can recognize the signs and filter out the red herrings. But our advantage is that we know what we are looking for, instead of blindly following old myths.”

How clever of the Ancients, she thought. Weave such tales of fantastic cities high in the mountains, to hide the treasure where no one would look.

“We've succeeded once. We shall succeed again.”

~~~~~ 

High up into the sky, where clouds and winds merged into one, everything felt so different. It wasn't the same as flying in the Condor, where they were kept inside and in relative safety; here, they could fall at any moment if they weren't careful. The Dragon was carrying them across air currents, so far up the sky that they couldn't even see the ground anymore; everything blurred together in a mess of foggy night, speckled with the very faint light of towns and roads whenever they flew over a busy area. Everything was so hard to discern, especially above a sea of darkness that the moon struggled to light up in its entirety. 

It was mesmerizing, and it called out to him in a way nothing ever did. For a second, it would be so easy to let himself fall and appreciate it, to let gravity abandon him like a seed carried by the wind, before the eventual fallout and destruction once his body hit the floor. But he resisted the need to become a meat pancake, holding tighter onto the Dragon's spine. 

In front of him, Tina was having a similar reaction. She was huddled tight on herself to keep warm, for even despite the Dragon's hot metal body, it was ice cold up here. She rubbed her arms, trying to stay awake and not fall off, for their destination was growing closer by the minute. They had no map, no way of knowing it, but it just felt true. Perhaps it was in their blood, perhaps it was a feeling they've learned to recognize. Perhaps it was excitation, perhaps it was fear, or perhaps it was all of these at once. They didn't know, they couldn't know, but they didn't care. 

For either way, it was natural, now.

“...hey, Tina?”

She turned around, trying to see Leon's face in the dark.

“When all of this is over...what will you do?”

She thought on it for a moment. Of course she's done so before, she had no choice but. Yet still it felt like a difficult decision. What to do after such an adventure? Go home, forget it ever took place, forget that the magic existed? Try to resume a normal school-home-work life, when there was so much out there waiting?

“I don't know.”, she said. “I...I'd like to keep up the adventure, but I know I can't do that.”

“Why not? Esteban could.”

It felt weird to not have him around. But perhaps this meant they could talk more freely, without fearing to offend him and crash into the ocean.

“Yeah, he could. And look where that led him. I don't know, it was the 16th century, things were different. Now we can't just go on an adventure forever.”

“What makes you say that?”

“I...I don't know. We've got to grow up at some point. We can't be vagabonds.”

“Yeah...guess when you say it that way.”

Vagabonds. How romanticized of an idea, when it basically meant they were no better than homeless people traveling town with their dogs in tow and their whole life fitting into a backpack. And yet, he was fully caught into that romanesque prospect, for the more he thought about it, the more it made sense. 

“But I don't know what I'll do with my life. I don't want to get an office job when I could be flying the Condor around.”

“Thought you hated it?”

“...never said that.”

He brushed some windswept hair from his eyes. 

“I just...what if my journey isn't as complete as I thought? I've learned the secrets of the lion prince, but...”

His thoughts trailed off before he could finish them. Tina knew what he meant, but not what to say, for fear of offending him.

“...I want it to be real.”, he admitted. “It's fun to play pretend, but that won't bring me anywhere, will it?”

“Well, that's...I don't know. Maybe?”

He knew what she meant, but appreciated that she was trying to spare him harsh truths.

“...do you think I'm weird?”

“What? Nah, not at all. You're you.”

She looked ahead, avoiding his gaze.

“Besides, in these days and times, it's best to be unique. There's billions of normal people, but only one lion prince guy.”

He smiled a bit. Even though that was basic stuff, it still made him feel a little better. How he wished more people had shown him such support.

“Why the emotions, though? Don't tell me you're gonna jump.”

“Nah, don't worry. I guess I was just thinking.”

In the heights of China, riding a golden dragon, that was all he could do.

He felt something heavy against his cheek. Blinking, he touched to it, and realized said Dragon was patting him with the tip of its whisker. It was warm, like a hot water pipe; he held it awkwardly, returning the pap, not too sure of what to do with it.

“Uh...what's he saying?”

“Nothing.”, Tina chuckled. “But even across languages, he understands how you feel.”

“Huh. That's nice.” 

He pat it some more, letting it rest on his head. How weird to be patted by a big dragon...but after all, weird attracts weird. It felt sort of nice.

Darkness had swallowed the world like a plague. It felt very cold, and a bit hard to breathe. A thin snow was falling, and the kids huddled a bit closer as they started losing speed. The Dragon was coming down, and when it reached below the clouds, they could already see better. They've reached the mountains, and the sight of snowed peaks and glaciers welcomed them to a place they've never been to, but that recognized them anyway. Leon's heart quickened up in excitation, for he could feel it. They were close, so close!

The Dragon descended down over a frozen lake, and it took a moment for them to see an opening in the mountainside. It landed right in front of it, and stopped in mid-air, as if to show that indeed, they've arrived. Very carefully, Tina stepped over to it, securing her feet on the rocks, and reached out to help Leon do so. The Dragon stayed there, his blue eyes lighting up the path in front of them. Under the snow and rock dust, there was a smooth surface that, once swept by a shivering hand, revealed an orichalcum wall engraved with spiral patterns.

“We're here.”, she whispered. “The entrance to the City of Gold.”

She felt around until her fingers met the notches that'd welcome their medallion coins. The both of them crouched down, and stuck them in; immediately, they disappeared into the ground, and their light slithered up the wall. They stood back up, watching as white patterns started dancing over the golden surface, soon forming up what looked like silhouettes. 

They were generic at first. Unformed, a little misshapen, unrecognizable. But as if the City was adjusting, they soon changed form, and the kids managed to make out familiar features. Their own.

“See.”, Tina smiled. “We're meant to be here. Both of us.”

This couldn't lie. No chance in the world it ever could.

The door opened, and a warm green light welcomed them. Tina offered her hand, and Leon's nervousness took it. Under the encouraging gaze of their golden guardian, the two children made their way into the second City of Gold.


	24. Plans

Esteban couldn't sleep.

Not when it was made clear that he wasn't needed for this journey. Not when it dawned on him that he'd only slow them down. Not when everything was slowly conspiring to stack against him, and turn everything into an endless battle. 

Not when his mind ached from knowing just how useless he was.

It's got to have come sooner or later, but that didn't mean it didn't hurt at all. To be supplanted just like that, by a crew of newbies nonetheless! His pride felt deeply wounded, perhaps in the same way his skull had once been. He had no heart anymore, but all of this felt like a stab in the chest, that very much compared in pain to his own head breaking upon impact. It still replayed in a corner of his head, like an intrusive thought he couldn't shake off. Whenever he'd as much think of it, it'd wash over him like a lightning strike, and a phantom pain would sneak up on him right where the bones chipped away. They were long gone, buried, dissolved to dust, but that feeling remained. Eternal, unshakeable, horrible.

“You're thinking back on it again.”

He sighed. Of course, Killa was up. He made nothing of it for now, and resumed staring at nothing like a cat about to die.

“Esteban. Stop thinking of it.”

If he still had a throat, he would have grunted.

“I can't exactly stop my own thoughts.”

“But you can let them eat you away. What is it that disturbs you?”

He drew his thoughts away.

“Nothing. I'm fine.”

He let his light form appear on the Condor's beak. Night had fallen a couple hours ago, and yet he was still here, still filled with leftover energy granted by the Thallios. At least _she_ could move around freely, since her vessel got its energy from saltwater. It must be great to never feel the need to sleep.

“You know it's not the same.”, Killa continued. “We cannot run our body endlessly. We need rest.”

Did he let his thoughts slip away? He tried to shut off his mind, to raise the defenses he's learned how to use whenever his mother would try to talk about it. To think of nothing, to just void his thoughts; but once again, these intrusive memories sneaked their way into his brain to mess with him. It was impossible to get a clear mind anywhen, for some malicious genie had made it their purpose to disturb him as much as possible with those memories he simply wanted to seal away forever. What purpose did they serve, besides making him disgusted with himself?

“I don't need rest.”, he breathed out, trying to clear his nonexistent lungs from their corrupted breath. “I don't need anything.”

He wiped his mouth on his sleeve, as if his very breath was dirtying whatever it touched, making him feel wrong and tainted. He needed to drive it out of him somehow, to make it stop, but he knew there was nothing to be done. That pain would stay forever, for thousands of years if it felt like it.

“Don't lie to me.”, she continued. “It's obvious that you're tired.”

“If I were tired, I'd be sleeping right now. And I'm not sleeping, so I'm not tired.”

“A fallacious reasoning.”

She sat by him, and he let it happen. He loved her company, of course, but there were times where it felt overbearing. Maybe that was the effect of always being bound together. 

“I'm fine.”, he insisted again. “I have never been finer. In any of my lives I've never felt finer!”

She sighed, but in an endeared manner.

“Your lies are as bad as your father's. I see right through you.”

“And I'd rather you didn't.”

“I mean, we _are_ a little see-through.”

There was nothing funny to it. How could she take it so light-heartedly? Wasn't it a big deal? They were _dead_ , for Coyolite's sake! Would anyone ever notice it!?

Did his death mean anything at all to his friends?

“They cannot mourn you forever.”, Killa answered to his thoughts. “And you know it.”

Ugh, again with the slipping thoughts! He quickly shoved them back in.

“I don't want them to do that! I just...”

He just…

...didn't know. He didn't know what he wanted anymore. It's been so long, and all these emotions were contradicting each other inside of him like two oceans clashing into tremendous, dangerous waves. Anything that'd try to come through would end up destroyed and shipwrecked worse than a galleon in Magellan's strait.

“...I don't know.”, he admitted, showing a hint of weakness. “I don't know anymore.”

He stared at the night ocean ahead of them. Everything was so quiet, and it was unsettling. It felt like a cold, moonlit grave despite being out in the open. He hated this feeling, it only reminded him of everything he was missing out on.

Five hundred years. Five centuries that he's missed on, because he's been too stupid to carry out the one thing he was born for. The one thing every single creature, every single life form down to the tiniest specks, was born for. The dumbest of fish, the meekest of prey, the sickest of malformed calves, the poorest and unluckiest of men have succeeded with utmost ease at the one task he had deliberately _attempted_ to fail, out of a selfish desire for things to change for once.

Killa gently wrapped an arm around his shoulders, and brought him into her tender embrace. Despite everything, she was still there, with him, ready to console him. It made Esteban feel warm, but also full of nasty emotions he wasn't sure to comprehend.

If it had been him alone on that day, when he let his wings give up along with everything else, it would have been fine. But in his...attempt, he had endangered not only himself, but her as well. She who had been so nice to him, who had shown him a mother's love like no one ever could. Twice she had saved him without he ever knew it, and he repaid her kindness and sacrifice with selfishness. It didn't make his turmoil any easier, for she was much more gifted in the art of concealing thoughts, and he had no idea what she thought of it. Was she secretly angry at him for putting them both in danger? Was she sad that he had wanted to rid himself of his immortality? Was she ashamed of him, thinking it contrary to whatever beliefs she held? He couldn't know, and he didn't dare to ask her. He didn't want to face the consequences of his act, the echoes of which still haunted him to this day.

Without knowing why, he started to cry.

Those were not real tears, nor were his thoughts real ones. Nothing was real; he was only a manifestation of light, a bunch of vague senses given form through the science of Mu. Yet still the pain in his eyes felt too real, the ache in his chest too present, the shaking of his fingers too true to be a fabrication of whatever simulation his mind was running. No matter how fake this afterlife felt, some things remained painfully real, so much that they stabbed him like so many knives in a sudden reality check. How could he accept the fact he was dead, if such human emotions could still torment him? 

Five hundred years. Five centuries of shutting down, of ignoring everything, of trying to reach the impossible by sleeping forever. To try to reach that peace of mind, that death-like void that could never be achieved; for his sleep had been haunted with these nightmares, these intrusive thoughts that would prevent him from ever attaining that blissful darkness. Even if he were to bury the Condor down in the bones of the Earth, he would still be tormented by what he would never be able to escape: his own thoughts.

And then, they woke him up. They unearthed his body, and reminded him that he had failed to move on. And now it simply felt impossible, for even after five hundred years of trying, he hadn't achieved anything.

He cried. He let his imaginary tears fall, let them fall into little droplets of light over the Condor's beak. He let them out, let them stab at him and burn at him like hot knives, let them fail to wash away that worthlessness he felt. Nothing mattered anymore, nothing would ever matter, nothing but this pain that seared at his dead flesh and his phantom bones. 

Killa tried to help him, but there was only so much she could do. She would not be able to ease his thoughts unless he shared them, and he obviously didn't want to. This was definitely not how she had envisioned her life with her son; what it would be like once they both got to live on the same plane of existence. And she shared that pain, she shared in feeling she had made the same mistakes in the past. 

But alas, there was nothing she could do. She knew what would ease Esteban's crisis, what would perhaps alleviate his worry once and for all; but she didn't know how to get it. All she knew of transchrysation was the process needed to trigger it, but there has never been anything about a way to make it stop. Why would anyone want to renounce immortality? 

Clearly those who have designed such a process were not immortals themselves. For if they knew what it felt like, what it _truly_ felt like to be stuck in one place, they would have thought twice about it. Perhaps _she_ would have thought twice about it. But it was in the past, now. What was done, is done. What would it bring to mull it over and over? She knew it would be useless. 

Esteban never had the chance to know it. He never had the chance to learn about life, about mistakes, about what it felt like to be wrong and to accept it. Taken at such a young age, he was unable to grow past it, for he was unable to grow at all. And in the back of her mind, Killa felt horribly guilty for it, for perhaps she had doomed her son where she thought she would be helping him.

There was no need to share thoughts to know how he felt about it. Esteban had always been very outspoken in his emotions, even in death, and he didn't even need words to convey what he meant. In that he was very much like his father, who never failed to tell her what he had on his mind at all times. But Athanaos was long gone now, and all that remained of him was his likeness forever caught in their son's traits. He was gone, and since Esteban was gone too, all that could have subsisted of him today never got to exist. And she felt so bitter about it, especially when met with these children descended from Esteban's old friends. Why was it that everyone's family lived on, but not Athanaos's legacy? _Her_ legacy? 

Is that how little her existence mattered to the world? That she had to keep on living, even though she had left nothing to watch over? What kind of torture was it to have the unique opportunity to watch her descendants grow and thrive, only for them to never have been born? She felt wrong, out-of-place, like she wasn't supposed to be here. Like her immortality would have better benefited someone else whose lineage would live on.

She knew that Esteban would have died regardless, had she not brought his soul to her. She knew that he'd never have made it to adulthood. But still, there was a pang of guilt that added to all of what was already present in her heart, a little “what if?” that nabbed at her; perhaps he would have lived, received help, survived and thrived… Perhaps he would not be suffering, and the Child of the Sun would have lived many, many more years, leaving behind a descendance that she'd have dutifully watched over… She knew it was hypocritical to think such thoughts, when she's just mentally told Esteban that mulling the past over was pointless, but she couldn't help it. She couldn't admit that everything was as peaceful as she'd want it to be. She couldn't lie to herself, and admit that were she given the chance, she'd refuse the opportunity to give up as well.

But she couldn't do anything about it. Neither of them could simply wish to cease to live and make it happen through willpower alone.

After some time, Esteban raised his head. He wiped his tears away, and stood up to let himself fall to the ground. Killa didn't follow, simply watching him as he faced the night ocean, clothes and hair stirring in an unfelt wind.

In a thrust of light, he started running. He ran in the air, over the ocean, arms spread apart like he was flying. The memory of his gestures was inscribed deep into his phantom body, like a muscle memory that wouldn't go away. He ran, ran over the surface of the water without causing as much as a twitch in the waves, without his existence ever bothered the world around him. In a flap of his arms, he took to the sky, and bolted upwards like an inverted burst of lightning. He rose into the air, his golden light shining against the moon, against the darkness, against everything else that transpired in the world; but the moment he felt freedom happening, it all dissipated. 

His senses came back to him after a moment, and he realized he was back in the Condor. He escaped it again, trying to project his consciousness farther away, but once again it failed. Again, he slipped out of existence like into a dream, and woke up bound to his golden, broken body once again.

He tried. Again, and again, and as many times as it'd take. But each and every attempt yielded the very same result, one that only frustrated him further the more he tried. He didn't even notice he was still crying, crying out his rage at the world, at everything, as his light flared and burned away what little energy he had left. He screamed and shouted, and begged and called out, and burned and burned until he had nothing but a candle's glow left to himself, and his form disappeared into the Condor once again. 

“You've tried.”, Killa tried to reassure him. “One day, you will succeed.”

She didn't even question what kind of mother would ever encourage her own child to attempt to end their own life. Nor did Esteban pick it out, for they were equally tired of this. Human ethics and morals were nothing, when all that immortality had given them was this jaded fatigue.

“One day. But for now, you need to hold on. Our friends still need us.”

The impression of her hand cupped the feeling of his cheek.

“Just a little longer.”

Just a little longer. And then...and then, he hoped there wouldn't be a need for a “then”.

~~~~~ 

The children's feet touched to the ground again.

Almost immediately, everything around them got drowned in warmth. Warm metal under their feet, warm air above their heads. Everything was warm around this place, this place bathed in whiteness and fog. Tina quickly brought her hair back together, looking around without seeing anything. She could barely see Leon next to her, covered as he was in volutes of fog. 

“Where do you think we are?”, he asked. “We...died?”

“We can't die like that. Don't be silly.”

“That elevator thingy sure brought us up in the clouds, if you get my meaning.”

“And I thought you'd go down the other way for all that strange art you're looking up, if you get my meaning.”

“Hey, we agreed to leave my search history alone!”

She stepped forward carefully, trying to see what she was waking on. A golden ground, no doubt; she touched to it, and felt warmth pulsating underneath. 

“We must be on top of a volcano. It's all warm.”

“The Himalayas are volcanoes??”

“Don't be so surprised. The end of the world had to happen somehow.”

She batted her arms to try to disperse the fog, but it felt useless. Perhaps it was due to the difference in temperature or something. The air still felt a little chilly, so perhaps it'd go away as it got warmer.

“Anyway. We're...here. I guess. It's kind of underwhelming, to be fair.”

“I don't see anything resembling a Condor factory.”

He shouted out, and his voice echoed throughout. There was definitely a big space around.

“...think we got wrong? And perhaps we've been rejected?”

“That's stupid. The Cities were expecting us, why would they reject us?”

Leon didn't answer, rubbing his neck absentmindedly. Still hurt like a motherbitch to think about.

“Let's just wait until it warms up. Perhaps it's got to defrost.”

She put down her backpack and looked through it. In the pile of food wrappers that's accumulated in there, there wasn't a lot left to eat. They'd need to make it quick if they wanted to have anything left for their return trip home.

“Your pick, meat jerky or dried fruits?”, she asked with a dubious face.

“I'll pass.”

“We've got to eat something, dude.”

“I said I'll pass. I'm tired of road trip snacks.”

She rolled her eyes, thinking it useless to reason him. More for her, anyway.

“I mean, it's not like we have a choice.”, she said after forcing some trail mix down her mouth. “Unless you're ready to hunt animals for food like a savage.”

“It's not savagery, it's survival. And at that point, I might as well do it.”

“Well good luck to you, survival lord. Don't come crawling back to me when you get a staph infection from drinking like Bear Grylls.”

He made a disgusted face at that, and she walked away with a smirk of satisfaction. Gotta get fun somewhere, right?

Anyway. Back to serious matters. She followed the engravings on the ground to keep on a same path, a hand in front of her. Soon she touched to a wall, and the fog dissipated enough to let her see somewhat clearly. More engravings; she took a picture with her phone, and compared them to her research notes. Lady Shinju had given her some clues as for how to read them, and together they've managed to build a handy translation key. Latinising these messages was one thing; but to actually decode their meaning was a whole other deal. Still, some words she knew popped out in the text, and through context cues she could somewhat figure out the rest. 

“Where sky meets...something, where wind...s. Run? Wait, that one's fly...where winds fly, where...rain, cold- snow; where snow falls.”

She wrote it down, working slowly, until she got something about decent.

“Where sky meets a thing, where winds run, where snow falls. This is the...the house, the...mother-place-bird?”

Huh. Was she reading that one wrong? Those last three were surrounded by some sort of bracket, like an Egyptian cartouche. She touched to it, very carefully, trying to decipher that important information.

Mother. Place. Bird.

Ba - da - lom.

“...the Nest of Birds.”

She blinked, wondering why it could be so important. The...Nest of Birds? She looked around, saw the fog had dissipated somewhat. She saw the columns, the walls, the structures raising around her like a giant cup. And indeed, from her tiny perspective about to be mesmerized, it _did_ look like a gigantic nest.

This was the City's name. The Nest of Birds. The Nest that saw the Golden Condor hatch!

“Brilliant. Simply, utterly brilliant.”

More and more started to reveal itself. She could start to see high panels of gold floating up above the fog like a gigantic ribcage surrounding the area. The morning sun was peeking through clouds she hadn't seen before, and she could make out the roofs and lines of temples and houses around. Everything was starting to reveal itself, and she wouldn't miss it for anything in the world. 

She held up her phone, checked her reflection quickly, and turned on the camera. 

“So. Hey there, everyone, Tina again. I know it's been a while since I've posted my last video...”

In private, that is. Technically, no one but her had seen it yet.

“But there's just a lot that's been happening. A big lot, to be fair. It'd be a hassle to summarize it all, so instead, I'll just show you.”

And she turned her phone around, showing the world the dazzling shine of the Nest of Birds. Everything was still pretty dark, but morning light was starting to pour over the metal ribs like water dripping down a car window. From their height in the mountain, they had a beautiful view of the range all around, especially once she took a few steps up temple stairs. 

“I doubt words can describe just how magnificent it is.”, she continued in a soft breath. “There's no getting used to it. It's a City of Gold, right in the flesh! Or, right in the metal, I should say, heh. I haven't updated my watch in so long, I don't know what time it is, but it's bound to be pretty early still. We're so high up the mountain that we can see the sun rise before anyone else. The weather's...clear, we're high above clouds, there's still some fog around but it's getting better.”

She walked around a high rempart, trying to get a better view of the place in its entirety. Such wonderful shots that her crappy camera wouldn't be able to convey properly!

“I know there's already some people down in the comments saying that it's all fake, that it's CGI. But it's not. I can't start to express how it's _nothing_ fake. It's not green screens or anything, it's- look, I'm touching it. I'm touching that wall, it makes a metal sound when I bang it. It's real! This place really exists, right in...um, I'm not too sure of where we are, actually. I know we're somewhere in Tibet, but that's all I know. Perhaps we're actually in India or Nepal because maps have changed since. I have no real way to know, but I suppose it's fine.”

She didn't want that wonderful place to be flocked by tourists. Even though she was doing this for science, history had to be preserved. 

“I don't have a lot of battery, so I'll say goodbye for now. I'll make sure to link all pictures I take. Goodbye, and see you soon!”

She waved to the camera, and cut it rather awkwardly. She took a few more pictures of the City, before putting her phone back and proceeding down to the bottom of the temple. 

Leon had disappeared meanwhile, but she knew he wouldn't go far. Where could he go, anyway? Tina proceeded on, knowing it'd be fine, and went to take more pictures of the now-clearer murals. Oh, how she'd have a blast translating them all!

As she walked, following the walls, a strange noise startled her. It sounded like a huge creature breathing, a regular rumble that sounded deep in her chest. Were they not alone? No, it couldn't be a beast. Animals don't make that kind of noise. She looked around, ear out, and traced it back to a little building off to the side. Her gut feeling told her to follow it, and so she did, until she found herself in a very strange room, the walls of which were covered in shelves and scrolls.

She didn't even hold back the joyous squee that escaped her.

Carefully, she proceeded to make her way down. Getting on the floating platforms was very unsure, as she feared they would fall once she stepped on them, but they were actually holding tight. It wasn't very different from walking onto a rope bridge, although it did feel like something straight out of a videogame. It even was a bit funny, and a joyride compared to the rollercoaster that the Dragon had been.

The hovering platform led her down a couple levels, as the noise grew louder and closer. Once in reach of the golden scrolls, she looked them over: some were bearing symbols, most of which she didn't recognize. She took one at random, and it revealed blueprints for a strange centipede-shaped all-terrain train. Fascinating…

She put it back, and returned to the platform. Then, she thought very hard about the Golden Condor: its engines, its gears, what she knew of its workings and mechanisms. As if it understood her thoughts, the platform moved a couple feet away, leading her to another section of the room. And indeed, many of the scrolls there bore the same emblems she's seen on her bird friend's body. 

She explored a bit, looked through those that seemed most interesting. Some were generic enough blueprints, some were very detailed and focused on specific aspects of the machine. They were animated, and she could scroll through their pictures and texts like a tablet with ease. Most instructions used pictograms, so they wouldn't be harder to decipher than an Ikea notice. 

“This won't be so hard.”, she hoped, taking them.

Let's see. Did these say anything about repairing broken appliances? Apparently, the factory could easily build a new one, but she wasn't sure whether Esteban would be able to move from his old vessel. He could temporarily use the sun emblem to carry him, but what about a permanent move out? As Joey said: repair, don't buy. Plus, as a broke kid, she never really learned otherwise.

Oh hey, she's found some plans of the Dragon. Wonder if she could do anything for him; he seemed fine, but if he really was as old as he claimed, he'd likely need a check-up. Plus, that was the least she could do to repay him for bringing them here. She put them in her backpack as well.

Still no sign of Leon outside. Oh, well. If he got in trouble, he'd furrymagic his way out of it. He'd do it out of anything.

Following the patterns on the ground, which she knew to be directions, she ended up in the building opposite of the library. Going down some stairs, following that slight rumble, she soon found herself in a much warmer room lit by crystal lamps. She was growing closer, she knew it. 

The installation in there looked...strange, to say the least. It was inactive, but she knew it wasn't turned off. The rumble came from the big green ribcage in the middle of the room; approaching it, she could feel it vibrating, and her hand trembled when she touched to it. Her phone also acted weird: when she brought it close, the battery started going up very fast and several apps malfunctioned, so she quickly drew it away. This appliance seemed to emit some sort of energy, perhaps electric in nature. She followed it along the hallway, until she came to a vast room littered with scrap metal fallen over. Whatever operation had been going on got interrupted rather suddenly, it seemed.

Well, then. Time to put it back together.

Until Esteban arrived, she'd do well to figure out how it worked. Looking around, she spotted what looked like a console, and went to figure out how to turn it on. Couldn't be more complicated than driving the Condor, after all. 

“Come on. Work with me, alright?”

~~~~~ 

A notification popped in the corner of her screen. Sighing, Desvilles clicked it, but soon after decided she wouldn't regret it.

A video was circulating on Chinese media, only a few hours old. In the sky of southern China, a strange apparition has been spotted, slithering through the sky. Some others from the same region have followed through, proving there was no falsification. Already, people have relayed it as proof that UFOs, ghosts or dragons existed, depending on what they wanted to believe today. Usually, Desvilles wouldn't have paid much attention to it, if it weren't for the strange correlations being drawn with the other apparitions.

Off the coast of Vietnam, amateur cameras then observation devices have caught sight of something very unusual. Bolts of light running across the sea like lightning, before they rose into the sky at tremendous speeds and disappeared. Then again, and again, each time following a slightly different, organic path. There had been no maritime activity reported at that time in those coordinates, no weather that could explain this phenomenon. And some time later, after the lights had ceased, vague reports of a gigantic bird have started to emerge, like they've done in all sorts of places across the world for two weeks now.

Flying snakes, moving lights, gigantic birds. Yes, this all made sense. In its own twisted way, it all made sense. 

Desvilles smirked. It seemed she would simply need to follow the trail these children have so kindly laid out for her, and she would get to this very juicy morsel. 

“Never forget.”, she chuckled. “I have my eye on you. Wherever you go, whatever you do, I'll be there somewhere.”

Heh. There was some sort of guilty pleasure in being theatrical in such moments, however hypocritical it felt to say. She closed her laptop and put it away, as Emrys was entering the room.

“We'll set off immediately.”, she told him. “Forget waiting. The second City is calling.”

“The plane is leaving within the hour.”

“Perfect.”

She took the plane ticket and coffee cup he handed her. Shigatse, huh? Pretty far, but nothing drastic.

“I wonder how far we will be able to go up the mountain.”, Emrys noted. “Even for cars, it will be a harsh ride.”

“Who says anything about going up?”

Desvilles smirked.

“We will not need to fetch anything. For our little friends will bring it right to us.”

And with a flap of her red coat, she walked out.


	25. Call

Leon's little whistle echoed through the City as he climbed up the last steps to the tallest temple. Phew, that wasn't a joyride; he's lost the habit of walking, with all this time spent flying. Perhaps he should stop whistling and ease his lungs, but everything was so silent around here, it was jarring. He wasn't sure he liked it, maybe not. Was he supposed to like it? Eh.

Once he reached the top flight, he sat down and let himself breathe out some relief. Whew...hey, wasn't that bad a view. Wished his phone had a camera, so he'd be able to snap a selfie or two. Perhaps it was for the best; some things weren't meant to be revealed. This place wasn't a tourist location, it was a sacred temple. No one could ever desecrate it, that's why he had to keep it secret.

“Walking on your footsteps sure is hard.”, he joked.

As if to answer him, a noise sounded out right behind him. He turned around, and saw that the closed door he's been faced with now showed a big shiny light. He stood up, and the silhouette mirrored him, like a shadow. 

“Oh hey, it's my evil twin again.”

Before he could touch to it, however, the white shadow twin disappeared up the wall, which split in half a second later. The door had just opened, giving way to a dark room.

“Oh boy. My gamer's training tells me that this is where the final boss hides.”

He raised his fists, and entered in after taking a mental pause to “save” his “game”. That likely wouldn't do anything, but it was nice to take a breather. 

A ceiling opening revealed seven panes of metal floating around in the middle of the room. Any moment now, they'd come to life and reveal themselves to be some dangerous robot or evil construct, and he'd have to defeat it. Let's see...what weapons did he have? His medallion, his old flip phone, a half-eaten cereal bar and the piece of Olmec glass. He held it up like a knife, or perhaps a ray gun, as he made his way to the center. His footsteps echoed in the metal room as he slowly progressed, waiting for any sign of his foe. Any minute now.

The room trembled, and he turned around like a scaredy cat. The door had just closed! Okay, so far so normal. A rumble sounded out above him, and he saw that the ceiling was closing off, leaving him in complete darkness. He shook the piece of glass until it shed some blueish light around, just enough to see.

“Alright. Time to show yourself, evil boss!”

That'd be a piece of cake. He closed his eyes and let the beast out, and- huh? He tried again, tried to picture his claws sharpening and his tail bursting out, but nothing happened. Not in the same way that nothing had ever happened before, but- for some reason, even more nothing happened this time. As if something was blocking his thoughts, stopping his power-up before he could complete it. What was going on!? What was this magic?! He didn't like this at all!

The humming resumed, and the panes of metal started glowing. Disarmed, Leon held up the piece of glass as his only weapon, stepping away from the future final boss. They were all shining a different color, bearing those weird-ass symbols he had no clue as to their meaning. One by one, they then revealed a picture, as portraits spawned on each of them. Weird old people in robes.

“Fuck. I have to fight the council of elders, now!”

He tried again and again to trigger the lion prince, but his mind felt frozen. He couldn't picture it, he couldn't make the transformation last. That's never happened before! Were these crones blocking his powers!? Wait, does that mean he had powers to begin with? He stepped back again, fearing the worst, and that's exactly when it happened.

One of the portraits, the yellow lady, moved forward, out of the metal. Immediately, Leon pointed his weapon at her, and that's when she spoke in the same pseudo-telepathic method Esteban used.

_“Welcome, young Chosen One.”_

She looked to him, floating in the air with her hands clasped.

_“By simply entering, you have activated our-”_

“Lion slash!!!”

And he rushed at her, ready to shank her with the piece of glass, but passed right through and fell on the ground like the prince of idiots. Oof, his bones. And his dignity.

_“...may I ask what this is about?”_

...huh. She wasn't attacking him. He stood up, picking up his weapon, and looked around the room again. Uh...oh, maybe he wasn't supposed to do that. Welp. He felt stupid now.

“Sorry. I thought you were the final boss.”

The floaty lady looked at him with that outrage old people knew well, but discarded it and resumed being all high and mighty with an echoey voice.

_“I am a Sage of Mu and Atlantis. I have been expect-”_

“Are you a ghost?”

_“...I am a luminoprojection. These store the image and voice of a person, so it can be reproduced lat-”_

“What's the meaning of life?”

_“I would like you to not interrupt me.”_

Oh, right. Big solemn moment. He sat cross-legged on the ground, trying to contain his conflicted thoughts, and to listen.

_“Thanks to you, young Chosen One, a second City of Gold has awoke from its long sleep. Congratulations.”_

He gave a thumb up. Anytime, bro.

_“Five more Cities await you.”_

“More errands, huh. Can I at least have a map?”

_“It is up to you to find them. For the search is as-”_

“Important as the reward, yes, yes. I've heard this one a lot.”

Sorry. Interrupting. He shut up again, trying to make himself all small, but the lady sighed.

_“Perhaps it would be best that you come back with your partner. I will have more ease explaining it.”_

“You can explain it to me!”

He knew he's promised to be quiet, but he stood up anyway.

“I can understand more than I let on. And I think it's a bit of my turn to be into the spotlight.”

She shook her glowing head.

_“The search for the Cities of Gold is not a matter of pride. It is not meant to bring glory or riches.”_

“And that's why Tina would be a very bad choice. She's all about history, where I know the hidden secrets.”

He showed his empty hand, and tried to make his claws appear. But again, it felt as if his thoughts were paralyzed, unable to trigger the transformation.

“It usually works. Maybe this place has a cancelling magic field.”

_“There is no magic at work, young Chosen One. The gifts that you possess are not ones that can grow claws and fangs, I am afraid.”_

Ugh. He knew it.

“I guess the real gift was the friends we made along the way.”, he sighed. “So what? I have to give up on everything, to be worthy of the Cities of Gold? Stop...pretending?”

Already jealousy started to nibble at him. That wasn't fair! He looked away, trying to hide the sting in his eyes, but there was no hiding anything from an omniscient rainbow ghost thing. 

_“To pretend is only the first step. But you have many more to go.”_

He rolled his eyes.

“Why bother.”

And he sat back down again.

“Look, miss Sage. I'll be honest with you. I don't think this is all worth it.”

She didn't say anything, so he moved on.

“I know that...someone needs to protect the Cities, and everything. I believe. But in a world where no one else believes, it's just difficult. Even if I'm into it with all my heart, everyone will think I'm just a crazy kid who needs to be locked up in the loony bin. And I swore to never let that happen. Got into too much trouble with my 'antics' already.”

He looked at his hand, traced the invisible patterns on it.

“It has to remain a secret. So when all's said and done, I'll have nothing to show for it. And everyone will think I'm crazy.”

_“A goal as noble as yours is one that cannot be condemned. When your path comes to an end, you will not have any regrets.”_

He shrugged.

“It's not that easy. I...I'm not some random 16th-century kid with no family or anything. I got my mom, she's sure having a fit right now. I've got school, exams coming up. Got things I'm supposed to do. Sure, I'd love to go on with the quest, but...”

He didn't follow up, thinking that his thoughts were already well-expressed. And indeed, the glowing Sage nodded. 

“...I need a guaranty.”, he said, finding his words again. “A guaranty that all of this will be worth it. That when everything's found and done for, I won't have to go back home like a vagrant, having missed maybe years of my life, and end up flipping burgers to pay rent when I once had been the Chosen One.”

_“You want to give yourself body and soul to the quest.”_

He nodded. He'd never half-ass things, not ones as important as his destiny.

_“Then go forth. Find the remaining five Cities, and unite them into one. Succeed where all of those before you have failed. As you progress through your journey, the discoveries you will make will be enough of a guaranty. When all is said and done, you will find no need to return to your old life; for your help will always be required.”_

Hm. He could go with that, possibly. 

“...will the prince finally get a crown?”

_“That, I cannot answer.”_

Eh. He tried.

“Alright, then. I'll try.”

He put the piece of glass back in his pocket.

_“A wise decision. With time, you will need to take many more; but as you grow, you will find them easier to answer.”_

“As with everything, I suppose.”

He stood back up. Then, a doubt struck him.

“So, uh. I know Tina's on her way to become a sage or whatever's the word for it, so it makes sense that she'd...y'know. But is there...hypothetically, of course, a way for me to...you know...like...”

He made a vague hands gesture, to which the yellow Sage chuckled. What? What was so funny?

_“We do not grant such wishes, young Chosen One. For there is nothing to grant.”_

He frowned, already feeling his disappointment. Then he noticed her hand was painted with some sort of square spiral pattern; he looked at his own hand, as if trying to discern something.

“Nothing to grant, huh...”

He tried to make his claws come out again, but failed. He squinted a bit, like he was observing it very carefully, trying to notice it in the pale sandy light. But that's when it hit him, and it all clicked.

“Oh, nothing to grant! I get it!”

He laughed, struck by just how stupid it was. What kind of corny life lesson was that?

“I get it, I get it. Fuck, that's silly... Well, all you had to do was to say it, your Sageness!”

He laughed some more, and the Sage decided to humor his reaction silently. Soon after, the hearts of their medallions spawned in the room, and he fetched them; that's when the ceiling opened, letting light into the room again.

_“Good luck.”_

“You too. I guess.”

And she disappeared; so did all the lights. The door opened again, and Leon headed out, breathing in a fresh gulp of mountain air. Ah, he's sure missed it.

He looked at his hand, attempted to summon his claws, but failed. Instead of frowning, he simply smiled. 

“Heh. Butterlions.”

And he proceeded down the staircase.

~~~~~ 

“Esteban? Get your attention on the path. We're almost there.”

“Sorry. I guess I tired myself out.”

He tried to get a better feel of where they were. Even centuries after the deed, the Yellow Dragon's trail still left faint traces of energy that were hard to miss. Anyone pointed into the right direction could find them, really; to find the City, he'd just need to follow them. And they were close.

“Half an hour away.”, he estimated. “We're close.”

“Can I trust you to go the rest of the way?”

“Of course you can.”

Killa smiled, and returned back to sleep, letting her soul quiet down. It was only Esteban now, as with every half-day. Bah, he was long-used to solitude, anyway. Plus, he'd soon join the others at the second City, and get himself repaired. 

It was exciting, to be fair. To finally heal those old wounds, clean up his systems and finally be able to fly at the speed of sound again? Oh, he could barely wait! Perhaps taking to the skies again would be the great moment he's been waiting for, the one that'd bring an end to his times of torment. It'd help make everything else go away.

Perhaps he'd resume traveling. He wouldn't be against the idea. It's been so difficult since his friends abandoned him, but now it'd be better. He'd be fast, as fast as the sun. He'd handle harsher climates, see even more of the world. Perhaps he'd even fly at night! Oh, wouldn't that be exciting? He couldn't wait!!

After some long minutes, he could see the white peaks of the Himalayas over the horizon. He was close! They were surrounded with settlements and cities much bigger than those he remembered, proving how much time had passed since. The looping river was long gone, and the little village he recalled paled in comparison to this big town filled with paved roads. Ah, how everything was so different… It was almost painful to envision.

It was in this place that he's met his father again for the first time. After all the lies, all the deceptions, the City getting destroyed on him, he's had a sliver of hope that was promptly taken away again. He still remembered how he had felt in that moment, how all came down to this instant when gold met gold for the first time in many, many ears.

The trail was leading in the other direction, towards the mountain. But Esteban flew in the opposite way, towards town. 

Cloaked in pale sunlight, he landed by that place over the waterfall. Human spread had left this corner rather untouched, save for fences and warning signs over the edge. There was no one at this hour, no one but the sound of water. He let his heavy body come down to a full stop, and slithered out without a noise once it ceased moving.

He still remembered it. The Olmec machine stopping in front of him, the robed man slowly making his way out. A meeting that he had wanted to happen for so long, and that had been cut short by Zares's intervention. He walked to the edge, where water was making its way down, and peeked over as if he wanted to find signs of the machine still being there, anything that proved that this meeting did happen. The height was making him a little dizzy, but it wasn't as gut-wrenching as before. He had no more guts to speak of, and he's already fallen from a much higher doom, so he wasn't afraid. Not in the traditional sense of the term, at least.

Everything had changed. But some things were still the same, as if they hadn't moved on in five centuries. Just like him, they were here, static, stuck on the past. The river couldn't change its course, nor could Esteban change his thoughts. They've been frozen a long time ago, and he had been bent on them ever since.

Such was the thing with death. It was like taking a picture: once done, it never moves again.

He wondered when and how his father died. Was it alone, from chagrin? Was it after he's taken a life of adventure again? He hadn't seen him ever since his own burial, and never made his presence known to him. It'd have been to much, and he had wanted to spare him the pain; but now, he regretted it bitterly. He's never really known Athanaos, but he has been a good man, who's done so much for him. And now, he'd never see him again; he didn't even know where his resting place was, or if he's even been given one. His own grave had been desecrated and pillaged, and to think the same could have been done to his father's filled with phantom gut with twists and knots. He needed to stop thinking on it, and just accept the fact he'd never see him again. To be a lemure, a ghost of light, is to be barred all other forms of afterlife. It pained him to know, but such was life.

If that could even be called life.

The sun was well risen now. Perhaps it was time to resume the journey. Esteban was about to return to the Condor, when he heard something. That rumble on the ground, that screeching...ah, what were those things called again? Carts? If he were to take off now, he'd attract attention, so he decided to wait for a moment.

Except that it wouldn't be so easy. The carts came his way, at least four or five of them, and stopped close to the Condor. Were they tourists? The people that came out of them carried bags and equipment, moving all around the still-cloaked Condor. At this short of a distance, there was little possibility they didn't see it...but just as he thought that, they started touching to its feet. Like they _were_ seeing it.

Esteban hid, disappearing back into his body. There he felt just how much they were starting to tamper with him: all around his body, they were deploying their equipment, trying to undo the cloaking shield. Esteban was paralyzed, not knowing what to do; should he take off? Shake them all off him, like he's done before? It seemed there was no choice; he turned his engines on, roaring like beast and scaring more than one of these people. But just as he was about to lift off, it all stopped.

What just happened? He tried to start again, to activate is engines, but something was wrong. It was as if he's lost control. The cloaking mechanism came undone, and the Golden Condor revealed itself in all of its sheen, to the eyes of these bandits. Esteban panicked, not knowing what to do or what was going on. He felt something happen to his talons, and that's when he knew they were going to _capture_ him.

No! Not again!! He tried to get away, to fly up, to reactivate his systems, but nothing wanted to obey. He could sense what was being done to him, but not react, as if he were paralyzed. 

_“Is this what you're looking for?”_

There was no doubting it: someone had just _spoken_ to him. How could it be? Was someone...aware of his existence? Casting all good judgment aside, he emerged from his body in a thrust of light, revealing himself to the eyes of all.

Amongst all the people currently busy trying to restrain the Condor, two were directly facing him. One was holding a golden piece of machinery; and the other struck fear into Esteban's mind.

That face. That wretched, cursed, hateful face.

“You!!”

And he rushed forward.

~~~~~ 

Desvilles watched as the boy of light revealed himself, bursting like a bat out of hiding, and dove right onto Emrys's unsuspecting face. 

She casually stepped aside, almost rolling his eyes at the sight of her assistant getting his neck burned by those hands that were trying to strangle him. Instead, her sight was completely mesmerized by that of the boy, of his hologram-like body that danced and rippled in the morning sunlight like it had a mind of its own. And indeed, what a mind! What rage, what passion was he trying to kill the poor man with, cursing and lashing out in old Spanish! It was almost hilarious to see.

“Come on, come on.”, she calmly said, not at all fazed by the commotion. “Is this a way to be civilized?”

Emrys pleaded him to stop, called for help as his hair and clothes were starting to get singed, and Desvilles sighed. How bothersome. She loudly threw the part she held onto the ground, and this seemed to wake up the boy from his murderous desires, as if he's felt it.

He glared right at her, his empty eyes still filled with rage. He spent a good moment on her, as if he had troubles situating her, not releasing his hands from their nonexistent grip.

 _“...quién eres?”_ , he asked, almost speaking directly into her mind.

“Una doctora. Por favor, deja de lastimar a mi ayudente.”

The boy frowned, but eventually let go, understanding that the poor man he's nearly burned to death wasn't whoever he thought. Emrys was quickly taken away from here, as the light ghost stood up and faced her.

 _“What have you done to the Condor?”_ , he asked, barely bothering to hide his rage.

“Nothing that cannot be repaired, don't worry. My engineers simply took down your ignition engine.”

She picked up the piece she's tossed, a fuse-shaped item the size of her forearm. 

“You will not go away this time, my dear Esteban.”

That seemed to strike him.

_“How do you know me!?”_

“Why, I have known about you for a long time.”

She smiled, as the Condor was finally secured and grounded. This time, no chance for it to repair itself, with so much components taken out. And Esteban seemed to know it.

“And I have to thank you. You have led my team right to the City of Gold in Yucatan, and now to the one in Tibet. Such discoveries would never have been possible without your help!”

_“What the…? You were following me? How!?”_

“Why, the same way we follow wild birds.”  
She gestured to one of her team members, who brought over her laptop for her. And indeed, clear as day, the tracking system pointed to a few feet in front of her, blinking red.

“Our last meeting had to be cut short, unfortunately. It would have been useless to try to capture you then, but you would tell me yourself of your next destination. Funny how far a cheap GPS tracker can go, isn't it?”

_“Release me at once! You don't know what you're messing with!”_

He went to grab at her, his form emanating tremendous heat, but Devilles already knew what would happen. He suddenly stopped mid-punch, and cried out in pain like someone shot at him. She glanced towards the Condor, where a drilling sound just emanated, and grinned with pleasure.

“I would not advise you to try anything.”, she warned. “Not all of your body is indestructible.”

He ignored her advice and tried again, but the drilling resumed and he fell again, holding onto his side. A chunk of rotten orichalcum fell off the Condor, weakened from the drilling; from his perspective, it ought to feel like a burning needle stabbing him.

“Ttttt.”, she sounded out in disappointment. “What a hot-headed little thing you are. Now imagine what would happen if we were to drill into your core components, hm? You wouldn't want that to happen, do you?”

He snarled at her, trying to get back up. The drilling sound resumed, and he froze at the mere idea of it. 

“Good. See? We can reach an agreement.”

She cackled, and he looked at her with wide eyes.

 _“...who in the world are you!?”_ , he breathed out. _“What do you want from me?!”_

“I told you, I am but a savant. What good would it do for you to know my name? I do not need you to know.”

Perhaps she would have loved to brag, but that could lead to trouble. Best to lay low.

“I do not want anything from you but your secrets. And since you are not the most cooperative of beings, I will simply draw them right out of your body.”

Already they were taking it apart, and Esteban could do nothing but watch it happen. He tried to attack those who were vivisecting him without a second thought, but the threat of losing more of his needed components to sabotage stopped him like a deer in the headlights.

He was trapped, just what she wanted. 

“Make your way inside its head.”, she ordered to the team. “There should be a circular item in the control console, with a solar pattern.”

Through mechanical means, they opened the Condor's beak, without Esteban could do anything. She watched them climb inside, before turning to Emrys whose burnt face was being patched up.

“I told you we would do it. This should make up for your little booboos.”

“...I'm not sure I signed up for this, Headmaster.”

She snorted at that.

“You have a good insurance, that should cover whatever help you need. And besides, this will be a good story to tell.”

He didn't answer, still dazed from the attack. Meanwhile, the searching job has been done, and a circular item was soon being handed out to her.

“So this is the Condor's key, hm?”

She took it in hand, looked it over. It barely looked like it did anything; but without this thing, the Golden Condor would not be able to fly. An additional caution never hurt.

“Wrap it all up. We will bring this bird to Shalou, I'm sure they will love taking it apart.”

That's when Esteban raised his head. And before she could order another drilling, he rushed to her to grab the emblem and-

-and disappeared. Nothing had happened. She still had it in hand, and the light was gone. Besides patching her vision for a short time, it did nothing whatsoever.

“...hm. Well, what are you all waiting for? Get going, come on!”

She put the emblem in her coat pocket, next to the compass, and resumed going about her task.

~~~~~ 

“Ah, there you are!”, Tina sighed. “Where have you been? I've looked for you everywhere!”

She sat down on the edge of the little pyramid, trying to see what he was looking at. From there, they could peek over the wall that surrounded the city, and see the mountain behind it. They had a short view of the frozen lake they came from, and the Dragon that was busy flying in circles around it like a dog chasing its tail. Huh, guess even machines needed to have fun.

“I think I've gotten the commands of the factory under control. I think. Now all we need is Esteban, and we'll get to run some scans.”

She watched the sky, trying to see what direction he'd be coming from, but saw nothing that'd convey his arrival.

“Hope the snow's not too harsh on him.”

Quite a fascinating place, to be honest. She couldn't help but take a few more pictures, trying to get the Dragon in the frame.

“You shouldn't do that.”

She rose a brow at Leon.

“Do what?”

“Pictures. If they spread, they'll betray the City.”

She shrugged.

“It's a mountain like any other. I'm not tagging them with a location...I don't even know where we are for sure.”

“That won't stop some.”

“Well, if they manage to figure out where we are from like...a stray pixel in my Android quality picture, I say they've earned their come.”

She tapped away at her connection options. Even so far up the world, she could catch some hotspots, but they were all garbled names with glitchy letters.

“What will you do once Esteban is repaired?”, Leon suddenly asked. “There's still five Cities left to discover.”

She shrugged. She hadn't had time to think about it.

“Guess we'll see. But if I get the opportunity to keep going...why not?”

“Yeah...keeping on is nice.”

She couldn't connect to them, but the City had some sort of connection system that could be used as modern Wi-Fi. If she had any hacking talent, perhaps she could have looked into it, but that wasn't her goal.

“Wish I could come home one last time, though. Dad must be worried. And I kind of want to rub my discoveries into Fermonte's face.”

“And prove her you can read old Muan?”

“Perhaps.”

She chuckled, thinking about it. That'd be nice to be proven right for once.

“I could receive training from more Sages. Become a full-fledged naacal. Make it a valid profession again.”

“What's that?”

“You know. Advisers, scientists, professors.”

“Then I'm about to surprise you: that already exists. It's called advisers, scientists, professors.”

“Very funny.”

She bapped him on the head with her phone.

“I'm serious.”, he said. “You could become a teacher.”

“Teaching Conspiracy History at Cambridge, yeah.”

“Then write a book. Pass it off as fiction, but tell of your stories. Of the discoveries you've made so far. No one will believe you, and that's okay.”

“Well, you'd make a shitty student counselor.”

“And that's great, because I've already got my career path all set.”

He looked up at the sky.

“I'm gonna become a full-time Chosen One.”

“Huh. Neat. How does that pay?”

“Not everything is monetary. Sometimes it's more.”

He glanced at her.

“I am the most precious of treasures. I can be reached, but never be touched. In every conflict, I am given many faces. In each mind, I reign supreme.”

“...talk of a big ego.”

“It's a riddle, dumbass. The answer will be my reward.”

Tina thought on it for a moment.

“Precious treasure, can be reached but never be touched...uh, intelligence? Peace?”

Leon shook his head.

“You'll eventually get it.”, he assured.

She thought some more. Something that's present in conflicts, and also in minds, that was really precious… She watched the Dragon spin around, pondering several options. Likely it had to do with his furrymagic antics, too. She was about to propose “beauty”, but suddenly, the Dragon stopped.

It froze, as if caught mid-act. Slowly, it turned to something in the distance that Tina couldn't see. And a second later, she felt it too.

_Danger incoming._

“Oh no.”

Leon rolled his eyes.

“It's okay if you don't get it. Think on it.”

“It's not that.”

Slowly, she stood up. That feeling...it was the same as in the first City.

“The City's about to close. There's something coming!”

“What? So soon?”

He stood in turn.

“But we didn't do anything!”

“It's not us. I think there's danger coming from outside. Either way, we have to go!”

Leon looked around, not seeing any signs of it. If this were to be true, then…

“...oh, well. We'll come back later. The Cities don't get destroyed, they just freak out at the first occasion like doomsday preppers.”

And he handed her the coin of her medallion. Oh, she forgot about it.

“Let's hurry.”

And indeed, as they started heading out, the City shifted around them. The pyramids and houses curled up on themselves, folding up like a model kit, and by the time they've made it back to the entrance point, everything had started to collapse. But this time, they've had enough of a headstart to avoid the big damage.

Still, talk of a bummer. Why was everything always cut short?

The sudden cold of the mountain welcomed them outside the warm City, so much that it gave her whiplash. Luckily, the Dragon was waiting for them, diligent as ever.

 _“Hurry!”_ , it huffed. _“The City is in warning!”_

Or at least that's what Tina understood. Quickly, they took place on its back, and it flew them away from here. Over their heads, they could see the whole structure folding onto itself and emitting huge amounts of that blinding white steam.

“What happened?”, Leon asked. “What's going on? We were just chilling!”

“Master Fu Zang, what...what happens City?”, Tina attempted. “What warning is?”

 _“Help.”_ , is the only word she understood out of his reply. _“Sun machine of destroy activates.”_

“What's he say?”

“I...I think it's something about a solar machine that activated…? But nothing of the sort happened in the City!”

Leon thought up fast.

“Can it be…?”

He took the piece of Olmec glass in his pocket, and indeed, it was gleaming warm.

“The solar reactor is sending this...which means-!”

He darted up.

“The Condor! The Condor's sending the warning signal!”

“But why? What use does it have for it?”

“Don't know, but we need to find out. What if it needs help?”

She sure didn't like that idea, but there was no circumventing it. The idea of Esteban being in danger sure didn't sound good.

“Master Fu Zang, please. Come to help warning. Sun Condor...needs help!”

He huffed again, this time in the affirmative. Tina held on to his horns, and Leon onto her.

“Fasten your seatbelts, it's going to be fast!”

“I don't have any!”

Too late, for the Dragon was already bolting.


	26. Truth

“So that's how things end.”, Esteban scoffed bitterly. “With us trapped in here, the Condor taken away and its secrets broken into!”

“We could not have foreseen it.”, Killa answered. “Nor could we have avoided it.”

“I'm fairly sure we could have. Had I not been so stupid…!”

“It wasn't your fault!”

Her voice echoed out in the dark, in the nothing that surrounded them.

“It wasn't. You didn't want to be caught, did you? They ambushed us.”

“But they've been following us the whole time! Had I known, I could have done something! I could…!”

“You couldn't. The people of these times are relentless. They'd have followed you to the other end of the world and more.”

Esteban groaned, finding nothing to pass his frustration on. He's been so stupid! Could he ever forgive himself?!

“Now we're stuck. There's no way out. We're going to become their test subjects, and no one knows where we are.”

“This is wrong. Tina and Leon will help us. They've done so before.”

“They left us, mother! They abandoned us to follow their selfish little goal!”

“Watch your tongue. You know it is bad to speak ill of your friends behind their backs.”

Esteban simply scoffed again. Stuck as he was, this was the only thing he could do for now.

Well. Guess it was up to Killa to help them out of here.

“We have very limited function out of our vessel. The only thing we can do is broadcast that distress signal. But we need to preserve ourselves.”

“How can we do that? We're dead.”

“Well, if you are making such remarks, you have a lot of life left in you.”

If he could see anything, he'd have glared at her. So he just pretended to do so.

“Whatever happens, we cannot let these people discover the secret of immortality.”, she continued. “This secret...this _curse_ needs to disappear from the world. Should it fall into the wrong hands, and I have the suspicion it will...we might be looking onto a tragedy waiting to happen.”

“So what do you suggest we do?”

She didn't want to say it. But at this point, there was no hiding it. There was no denying what weighed on her missing heart.

“I suggest we take the Condor out of commission.”

Esteban jolted up.

“You mean...destroy it?”

She acquiesced silently.

“But...but if we do that, we...”

“We will be destroyed as well. Without a vessel, we will not be able to survive.”

Esteban suddenly felt struck with something he did not comprehend. He remained silent, looking at her, around, not understanding.

“But...why? Is there not another way?”

“The Golden Condor can be replaced. The children will be fine. We cannot allow the secrets of Mu to be mishandled by unworthy alchemists.”

“What will happen to us?”

She had to admit that she didn't know the answer. To be fair, she dreaded to know. But she's already been there, so...surely it couldn't be any worse.

“Whatever happens, will be what we've wanted to happen for a long time now. The end needs to come.”

She was right. Of course she was. But Esteban didn't want to admit it. 

“When I said I wished for death, I didn't mean...I-I'd never...”

“There is nothing wrong in wishing for death, when we have been stuck in a half-life.”

He felt her hand wrap around his own.

“It is a last resort. But if there is no other option available...we need to be ready.”

It hurt to think. But she was right: it had to come someday. There was a whole realm of difference between wishing for tragedy and it actually happening, and it never dawned on him until now. 

Perhaps this wasn't a coincidence either.

“...how would we even do so? We can't move. We can't wish for death so hard that we actually die, can we?”

“We cannot. But we have to stay on the lookout. Should the occasion come, we will need to jump right in. There will be no second chances.”

“I understand.”

Without knowing why, he pressed his soul closer to hers, as if to embrace her. She returned it, holding her child close one last time.

What a dreadful wait than one filled with wishes of death.

~~~~~ 

A good mile under their feet as they flew, people would stop, point at the sky and exclaim. The flight of a golden dragon carrying children on its back wasn't easily missed in rural China, and in a time of cameras and photographic proof, their path ought to leave some marks in the collective memory. But who cared at this point? Their friend was in danger, and that was all that mattered. 

“I don't see anything.”, Tina whined. “Are we too late?”

“We can't be.”, Leon denied. “The Condor mustn't be far. We have to keep looking!”

The Dragon huffed, its eyes scouring over town. Its flight pattern has been rather confused for a moment, and for good reasons: it's never been that close to human cities before. All this attention was making it nervous, unsure of where to go, but Tina kept firm, insisting on the path ahead. Talk of a fish out of water situation! Whether they found the City or not, it was unlikely they'd go forgotten and easy. That in turn would bring its lot of trouble, but that would be for later. It would all be for later. The priority for now was to find the Condor, and answer its call for help.

It was weird, though. Why didn't Esteban come find them at the City? Did something happen to the Condor? She dreaded to think up what could have gotten it into trouble, this close from their goal. 

Could Diaspro have followed them all the way here? No, she'd have noticed it. A guy like that was hard to miss. They've also followed a pretty convoluted route, it wouldn't make sense. It just couldn't. What did any of this mean?

“No trace of it.”, Leon said after a minute of observing around. “Did it sink into the river?”

“It's too big. It's the size of a building, we would have seen it!”

She leaned over the Dragon's head.

“Master, can you see signal? Go to it?”

He grunted. From what Tina got, it's been rather muted for a while, and he had trouble locating it. They'd keep looking, then; let's not lose hope. 

“What about you, princey? Do the patterns say anything?”

“Wh- that's not how it works!”

“Hey, there's no shame in trying. Anything works.”

He groaned, and looked around once more. In the houses and cars and roads, it was hard to make out anything resembling a Golden Condor.

“Can we go lower?”

“We'd crash into something for sure! Have you seen these towers?”

“We have to try! I can't see anything!”

“Ugh, fine! But if we get our tail tangled into flags, it's your fault.”

She tried to tell the Dragon to go lower, and he seemed reluctant. But the emergency of the situation prevailed, and he eventually obeyed, following the main road through town. Flying over people's heads, being the object of so much attention sure didn't help, but it was needed. If anything, it'd make quite a story to tell; but that wasn't her goal. Not now, not later. 

The Dragon trembled as it leaped over a bridge, and she yelped as she held on tighter, almost yanking its head back. This wasn't at all like piloting the Condor, for the beast had its own directions and no way at all to be steered. How did the previous Chosen Ones even get around with this thing!? She dreaded to think of it, and turned her thoughts away from it. 

Around a corner of the road, beyond the mountain, she spotted something. Tugging on the Dragon's mane to guide it, she flew closer, following her gut, and that's when the sun reflected it into her eyes. There! That large truck, it was transporting something! Covered in hasty tarp, bound down with ropes, it still was shining underneath like no mistake. 

“They're bringing it out of town! Let's catch up!”

The Dragon roared, and followed the highway at a tremendous speed, easily cutting in front of them all. They were so close to the road that Fu Zang could touch it with his claws, and it didn't help their situation at all. But they kept going nonetheless, trying to catch up to that truck while staying alive, zigzagging between cars and buses like a mad chase scene straight out of a movie. 

“When we get there, what will you do?”, Leon shouted, trying to cover the ruckus of tires and engines all around.

“I don't know! I thought you had an idea?”

Well, they haven't thought this through at all, and this'd be a bit of a problem. But then again, to be a Chosen One is to live dangerously. 

The Dragon was flanking the convoy now. No doubt as to what it was carrying; but even if she were to get under that tarp, she wouldn't be able to fly it out, bound down as it was. She'd need to stop the truck first, and there weren't many solutions as to how.

“Okay. Hold onto me, and don't let go!”, she instructed.

Leon promptly obeyed, hiding his face in her back. Tina seized the Dragon's horns, squeezing a bit to get Fu Zang's attention, and held onto them like reins. 

“Right. Here goes nothing...”

She braced herself for the impact, as the Dragon was catching up to the front of the truck. She brought it left, just enough to catch momentum, and then _slammed_ right into it with its side.

The truck deviated from its course, swerving to avoid impact. But she tried again, this time harder, and its front wheel left the road.

“Come on, bear with me! One more time!”

She slammed a third time, and this time the Dragon hit the truck with its legs, giving an additional push that sent the vehicle on its side. The heavy weight of its load followed, and everything went collapsing; the Dragon quickly turned around and slithered out as the truck fell out of the road, crashing into a side field with a horrible noise of metal. Several cars swerved and got caught into it as well, and the ripples of the crash echoed throughout the road like dominoes. The vacarm of metal against metal turned into a horrendous cacophony that tore at her ears and chest, but that calmed after some long seconds of disaster.

She couldn't believe it. She was alive! Oh, praise the Mayan gods!!

“I swear!!”, Leon shouted. “If you do that again, I shove you off!!!”

“Needed sacrifices.”, she panted. “Come on!”

And they flew to the site of the wreckage, circling the fallen Condor.

It was in a pitiful state, several of its pieces laying about, tossed and tumbled by the fall. Most ropes have been undone, and the rest would follow with enough tugging. The drivers were unscathed for the most part, struggling to get out as the commotion was growing bigger and bigger. Once they were down, Tina leaped off, landing in the grass with a huff, and rushed to the Condor.

“Esteban? Killa? Are you there??”

She wriggled her medallion, and the Condor weakly opened its beak. She managed to crawl inside painfully, the cabin laying on its side and everything being in a mess. Not for long, luckily; she went to get the systems up, hoping to-

Wait. Where was the sun emblem? She looked around, hoping it had simply fallen, but found it nowhere. What? Where did it go??

A doubt suddenly struck her, and her spine ran cold. Making her way out, she tried to assess the damage. Traffic had stopped, the Condor was in a mess, and when she touched to her head, she felt something painful growing. And most important of all, the sun emblem was missing!

“What's going on!?”, Leon asked, catching on. “Why aren't we flying?”

Tina tried to answer, but her words weren't coming out. Everything was happening way too fast, and she felt as if she'd fall any moment now. The Dragon was circling over their heads, looking around frantically as if it were confused. Eyes switching between the two of them, Leon quickly made the connection, and rushed to the still-shook driver to grab him by the collar.

“Oi, pendejo!! Dónde esta la llave!?”, he angrily asked.

“I-I don't understand! Let me go!!”

“I said, where's the key!? The key to the Condor, where did you put it!?”

“I don't know! Leave me alone!”

He tried to push him off, and Leon indeed stumbled. But that's when the other passenger managed to get out of the truck, looking around completely stunned. Police cars were coming close, and there was no time to waste if the kids didn't want to get arrested. 

In a thrust, Leon went to the other man, grabbing his sleeve with force. The guy looked like he's been in a serious accident, his face all red and still bearing blister marks. His neck looked like someone had tried to strangle him, and this was all Leon needed to know.

“You. You've had a run-in with Esteban, don't you? Do you know where he is!?”

“As a matter of fact, I do!”

The redheaded guy managed to free himself, taking a step back. 

“Your wrath demon of a friend is with the Headmaster! She'd the one who's got the emblem!”

Tina perked up at those words. Quickly, she came with Leon, unsure of what she's heard at all.

“What? You know where he is!?”

“Professor Desvilles is the one who's got him. She's on her way to the airport. There, happy?”

That name rang a bell.

“...Professor Ambre Desvilles?”, she asked. 

“Herself.”

“Why, you know her?”, Leon asked.

“She wrote that report on witches. Wait- you said, Headmaster? As in, the Headmaster-”

“-of Institut Sablier, yes. The leader herself. You have a problem? Take it to her for all I care!”

Wow. Guy seemed to have some problems, apparently.

“...any idea of what she might do with the Condor?”

“Oh, lots of ideas. Trust me, you don't need to hear about that.”

He scoffed, holding his bandaged neck.

“She's not a good person. That's all you need to know.”

“Yikes.”

People were coming their way, shouting in angry Chinese. They couldn't stay here any longer; quickly, Tina called for the Dragon, that lowered itself to their height.

“What about the Condor?”, Leon asked.

Tina looked at it. Wounded, vulnerable, with many of its pieces missing and unable to fly. It pained for her to leave it laying here, but there was no other way. They needed to be fast if they wanted to save Esteban and Killa.

“...we'll come back for it.”

“Promise?”

“Yeah. Promise.”

And the Dragon rose into the sky again, flying over many flabbergasted heads towards the airport.

~~~~~ 

Out of nowhere, the compass started acting up again.

Desvilles took it out, observed the way the needle was pointing and the gears clicking. Something was heading her way; something powerful and energized. The Condor was grounded, however; she had gotten it confirmed. However, as she checked her phone, several panicked messages came her way. It seemed her little delivery would be delayed due to traffic mishaps. 

Oh, well. It could wait. Afterall, if immortality was in her hands, she'd have all the time in the world now. No one could stop her.

Not even little witches. Oh, how she was expecting that encounter!

~~~~~ 

Even speed wasn't as much of a problem anymore, when there were so much more pressing matters at hand. Perhaps Fu Zang was as anxious as they were, for they reached the airport in barely five minutes. 

It wasn't very frequented at this time, so people seeing them wouldn't be a problem. But the closer they got to it, the more obvious it became that the source of the distress signal came from there. At least they'd have plenty of space to land on such a wide, empty strip. 

Immediately, people started flocking them, for their presence was unwarranted and what they were doing likely illegal. The Dragon also had its number of fans already; but to that, it answered with a terrifying roar that brought most of the crowd away. Luckily there weren't that many people, but it'd still be a problem.

“I should have taken Chinese lessons.”, Leon sighed, remembering Joey's words about foreign countries. 

While the commotion was going on, the two children managed to slip away from there and try to enter the airport. With no way to track Esteban's signal, they'd be at a complete loss, not knowing whether the Professor was already gone or not. But it seemed they wouldn't even have to do so.

For she was already there.

“Welcome, my good friends.”, she greeted in Spanish. “Ah, you have no idea how much I've heard about you.”

Tina took a step back, and Leon barred his fists. So _that_ was the Headmaster? She didn't look anything terrifying or cruel. She was almost like a good little grandma, if anything. Could the burnt redhead have gotten it wrong?

“I suppose that you're Prof-”

“Release my friend right now or pay the consequences!”

Leon aimed the piece of Olmec glass at her, as if it'd do anything more than just a regular piece of glass. To that, the Professor replied with a raised brow, and a glance towards some sort of compact she had in hand. 

“Why, I appreciate your enthusiasm. But you do not scare me.”

She stepped closer, completely oblivious to Leon's attempt at intimidation.

“I believe we have gotten on the wrong foot.”, she said in a false honeyed tone. “It would be a shame to waste such promising young talents. Why, could we not work together instead?”

“Yeah, as if! You're trying to find the Cities of Gold and sell them, aren't you!?”

Desvilles scoffed, as if the idea humored her more than anything.

“Sell them! Why, do I look like there is nothing to me but monetary gain? This is not what Sablier was founded on.”

She showed the compact: a weird golden compass that bore a starry hourglass emblem.

“We merely follow in the footsteps of our predecessors, except that we have a much more noble goal. Such treasures as the Cities of Gold are not to stay hidden and gather dust!”

Her eyes turned to the Dragon, which had retreated a safe height away from the crowd, keeping their attention on it.

“Such wonders...have you ever imagined what they could bring to the world? The technologies of the Cities could bring forth a new era of mankind! Limitless energy, fast transportation, health and so much more! Have you never thought of it?”

Leon growled at her like a cat mimicry. As for Tina, she simply stayed silent for a second.

“...or weapons. Tools of mass destruction. The Cities are not to be messed with!”

“Why, what makes you say that?”

“I just- I know it, that's all!”

“Or perhaps, you have _seen it?_ ”

Tina paused, taken aback.

“Don't think I do not know about your little secret.”, Desvilles sneered. “I have kept a close eye on you for a good while. And I know that you ache to know more about yourself and what you can do.”

“Don't listen to her! She's tryna bring you to the Dark Side!”

Tina knew it well. But nonetheless, her interest was piqued. She tried to ignore it, to not give in to that obvious bait, but she knew that she'd regret it. What if that was her only chance?

“...that won't work.”, she replied. “I know what you're trying to do. Diaspro already tried, and failed.”

“Diaspro doesn't have a tenth of the knowledge I have. He doesn't know the secrets that Sablier has kept for generations. He doesn't know about the Pyramid.”

“I knew it!”, Leon shouted. “You're fucking Illuminati!!!”

“Well, perhaps I am?”, Desvilles scorned. “Someone ought to keep the world in check; and that is an honor meant for the powerful.”

Oh fuck no. She's heard enough discourse like this, and knew it never meant good. Her fists clenched as well, knowing where this would soon be going.

“Just give me back the key.”, she said, trying to keep calm. “And then we'll see.”

“I know you are trying to be noble, and to save your 'friend'. But the Child of the Sun is no one's friend. He is a cruel liar, who will use you for his own goal.”

Tina couldn't help but recall Esteban's deal. Break into the museum, get his medallion, and fly him across the ocean; all of that in return for promises. Secrets that she didn't even get. 

No, she mustn't! Esteban was her friend, he was a good person! That woman was lying, trying to mess with her!

“I don't know what you're trying to get at, but it's not working. I'll never work with you or Sablier. I've seen what you want to do!”

“Have you?”

She hadn't. But that was obvious _they_ were the bad guys! They were up to something, for sure!

But the world wasn't so black and white, was it? What if she was wrong? What if they genuinely wanted to help, and all the secrecy was but a needed protection for their trade? After all, all she had to rely on were gut feelings...she very well _could_ be in the wrong!

No. She couldn't, she couldn't! This would only end bad, she knew it! To give them the Cities and their treasures would be to sign her death wish!

“I've seen what the Great Legacy did.”, she reiterated. “It destroyed the Olmec people. Even if you have genuinely good intentions, I can't risk that happening again. It's too dangerous.”

Desvilles had kept her composure so far; but at that, her grin fell. Instead, all that remained was a vicious, disappointed scowl. 

“Well, then. I suppose you have made your choice.”

She reached into her coat pocket. And out came, pointed straight at her, the cannon of a gun.

“But I will give you one last chance. And I will make myself _very clear_ : if you do not take it, it shall be the end of the road for you.”

The safety clicked, sending a shiver of panic throughout her whole body. Leon tried to step forward, but this time it pointed at him, and he yelped like a scared kitten. There was no knowing whether or not she was serious, but one thing was sure: Tina didn't want to risk it and find out.

“So then, little witch. What will it be?”

Tina couldn't reply, frozen by fear. For some reason, she's always guessed it'd end up that way, and yet there it was. The possibility of her sudden end, at the hands and bullets of a crazed powerfreak, without anyone even cared enough to look this way and put a stop to it. 

And then, the next two seconds unfolded.

Leon rushed in. What were his goal, his idea, there was no saying; yet he did, head down and fist forward, as if that'd do anything. He screamed, too, for good measure, because all stupid and impulsive actions needed their call sounded out.

Desvilles hesitated. She clearly hadn't anticipated such a reaction, and stayed in place with her weapon drawn, wondering what was happening and how to react. By the time she had pointed it at him again, Leon was hitting her in the flank, enough to make her stumble, and she stepped back trying to regain balance. 

The gun shot. The sound echoed through the air like a thunder strike, and Tina's mind flashed with memories of so many accidents and news reports that have filled her with dread. The unthinkable was happening, right now, and it was way too much to handle.

Tina screamed. It wasn't a scream of fear or pain; it was the only logical reaction to such an event. Quickly the people still around the Dragon noticed what was going on, and attention returned to the scene. 

And then, time stopped being distorted, and flew normally again. No searing pain, no burning sensation, no dread: Tina looked down at herself, and saw that she didn't get shot. Quickly, she turned to a still stumbling Leon, and he looked back at her. No blood, no gaping wound. They were alright. 

Relief hit, followed by the return of danger. Fear took over, and Tina's body moved on its own again. Like a predator, she rushed onto the professor, and pushed her to the ground with the force of a teen acting out of fright. The old woman barely resisted and fell down, and Leon grabbed her hand, trying to get the gun out. Before Desvilles knew it, she was the one on the other end of the cannon, on the ground and defenseless.

But her only reaction was to scorn.

“You wouldn't do it.”, she threatened. “You're shaking like a leaf. You'd never.”

Indeed, Leon was trembling so much that his aim was a mess. The weapon weighed heavily in his hands, as he realized with terror just how real it felt. Scared by so much dangerous potential, he threw it away with all his might, out of reach. Disarming himself, but assuring that no other shots would be fired.

“Game's over.”, Tina breathed. 

A hint of light caught her eye. Quickly, she dug into her coat pocket, and pulled out both the compass and the sun emblem. It was there! She was about to sigh of relief, but her hands had other plans; for with a second's delay, everything appeared to her.

_i come from far there's no use in fighting you do not know how much i have journeyed i will find you let me help you cannot hide we will find it just you wait i need it he's a traitor give it to me he's a traitor i have the power that's going to enrage him he's a traitor tina there is something i will make them pay i have killed him my ship they have destroyed my ship i will make them suffer take it with you never lose it we shall rise again tina do you hear me the order will never disappear from now on i am in command you will be perfect the treasure is near so this is the secret tina please end this we will find it traitor traitor no one messes with the order this is the treasure of sablier please listen end this we will rise and conquer and govern the world you need to end this end this end this END THIS END THIS END THIS END THIS–_

She awoke back to reality with a jolt. The commotion had grown, and the professor had Leon in her grasp. He was screaming, trying to kick his way out, but she was holding him tight, shouting out threats that didn't even reach her. Everything felt out of place, as if reality was about to collapse. Her eyes darted from the compass, to the sun emblem, to Desvilles, to Leon, to all that have gathered around the scene. 

It appeared to her. Clear as day, bright as light. 

“I'll never let you win.”, she breathed. 

And she ran away. Leon called after her, betrayed and shocked, but there was no other alternative. Tina held the sun emblem tight, running towards the landing strip, letting the distress signal broadcast at full force. The Dragon reappeared from the sky, and when their eyes met, it felt as if he too understood what was going to happen. 

“Leon, close your eyes!”, she shouted out.

The boy understood in a flash, and obeyed. Desvilles got it too, in a shudder of fright; she let go of him, and ran towards her, but it was too late. As hard as she could, Tina tossed up the sun emblem, and it rose in the air like a weight. But right before it could fall back down, the Dragon opened its jaw, and _crushed_ it between its teeth with the full force of a legendary beast.

The light flare that broke out of it made the sun pale in comparison.

It felt like a shockwave that rippled through the air and the ground, as the Condor's key broke out in a myriad of pieces and sparks. Tina fell to the ground screaming, shielding her face from the blast of light that she felt course all over her like an explosion. Several people screamed and covered their eyes, but heat then followed the light like a blaze that scorched through the air with the force of a thousand stars. Under the Dragon's fiery bite, the energy released broke windows and made cars ring out like crazy. All sorts of alarms and signals detonated, adding to the chaos of the explosion that felt like it would never cease. It lasted an eternity, burning and blinding and screaming and scorching, an eternity too long before it calmed finally, before the heat stopped trying to kill them and the light ceased to blind them. Then silence came back, and Tina weakly opened her eyes, trying to assess the situation.

Caught in the blast, the Dragon laid on the ground, twitching yet wounded. Leon was alright for the most part, shaken and curled up on himself but fine. And in the middle of this carnage, the sun emblem rested in a dozen pieces, still emitting sparks and flares. 

Quickly, she crawled on all twos to it, attempted to pick up the pieces. They were burning to the touch, and she could only nudge them with her foot. She called, tried to get Esteban's attention, but nothing replied. Nothing happened, no happy voice to reassure her or ghostly light to make her doubt the existence of the afterlife. Nothing.

But that was precisely what he'd wanted. What he's asked, _begged_ her for.

Leon grabbed her arm, startling her. He was still curled up and shaking, but alright. She turned to the Dragon, and it glanced at her with weak eyes, blinking as if to communicate a similar sentiment. As for her, she wasn't sure whether at all she made it or not. Everything was still a mess in her head, and she couldn't make sense of any of it. 

Good. By the time she'd manage to do that, it'd be too late. While everyone was still recovering from what just happened, they'd need to run away fast. 

Disappear into a flash, like all legends did.

~~~~~ 

The magnetic systems and crystal arms worked fast-paced, pulling up pieces and parts faster than any car assembly line would do even in the most modern of times. Tina watched the progression on the control screen, occasionally pressing a couple buttons to regulate the process. Everything was moving smoothly.

Sitting not far, Leon was slowly recovering. He hadn't said a word since they've left the airport, and she knew it would take some time for him to “turn back on”. After all, it's been quite an experience; she couldn't blame him. Herself wasn't sure she'd get out fine from it, as everything was still too fresh in her mind to be processed. So she's decided to put it aside, to simply focus on the present and do what they've come here for in the first place. 

She gazed at the machines in the middle of the room, the ones they've had all sorts of pains to bring back here. The Dragon was fine for the most part, and only needed a few parts replaced from use; as for the Golden Condor, it was a whole other matter.

So many parts have been replaced, changed, adjusted, tailored, that it didn't feel like the same bird anymore. It's definitely lost a lot of weight, and some of its scars would never go away; but Tina didn't mind it. It's been through so long, but now it would be able to fly right again. What was left of its old body would remain as a proof that time has passed: shiny new metal fit flawlessly with old, tarnished orichalcum, that despite its purity still bore the marks of all these centuries spent underground. A horrible fate that she'd never wish on anyone, not even on immortals.

At least they were free, now. Since the key couldn't be repaired, a new one had to be made: void of any information, memories and anything, it basically had reset the Golden Condor to factory settings. No one would live in that vehicle now, for sure.

Slowly, reconstruction progressed, new parts soldering themselves onto the old, broken body, giving it a harmonious shape once more. Everything was running smoothly, so Tina decided to take a moment to sit down and simply admire it. 

Leon slowly raised his head. For a while now, he's been holding pieces of the old key, the one Esteban and Killa inhabited. She knew just how he felt, and didn't know where to start to reassure him, but thought that her words wouldn't matter anyway. What was done was now done, and it was useless to mull the past over.

It was what he'd wanted.

“Well...now we are the last Chosen Ones.”, she said, looking at her medallion. “It's up to us.”

She glanced at him, trying to sense his response; but to that, he simply brought his head down again. Alright...maybe later, then. It'd pass. It always passed.

At least until the day it wouldn't. And then, she wouldn't know what to do.

“He didn't deserve it.”

She blinked, gazing at Leon.

“He didn't deserve to die.”

That was true. But then again…

“He was already dead. We've just released him.”

“It's not fair. Why did he have to die?”

“Because everyone needs to die at some point.”

She thought back on what Esteban told her. Had he not died, things would have happened very differently. She and Leon would never have been born, and the crazy story they've just lived would never have existed either. Would it be a good thing, she wondered? Would it be right to prolong one's existence at the expense of others'? She didn't know, and didn't feel like knowing. It was all complicated, and she wasn't in the mood for thought. 

“At least he's happy.”, she insisted. “He's free from his prison. He's chilling with our ancestors, having the time of his afterlife. And it's all fine.”

Leon didn't react, still staring at his feet. In sympathy, Tina pat his shoulder.

“Come on, lion prince. Let's move on for him. We have the ability, he wouldn't want us to waste it, right?”

He shrugged. But she knew he'd agree with her, so she wasn't worried.

The control console beeped, and she went to inspect it. Everything was getting finished, and she simply needed to oversee the last touches. Soon the Condor would be ready to fly again, reborn in the nest it first came from. A bit like a phoenix, yeah. The sunbird guided by a pure-hearted child.

She slipped her medallion in the keyslot, pressed some buttons. Everything wrapped up just fine, and the magnetic pulls slowly powered down. Finally, the Golden Condor stood tall again, finally repaired and ready to go. It looked so pretty, new and old metal joined together with glistering solder like a mosaic. It reminded her of kintsugi pottery, broken things repaired with gold.

“It will be able to go at the speed of sound.”, she said. “Perhaps even faster. The City's apparently updating its data, so maybe it can download faster engines.”

Leon stood up, putting the shards in his pocket. How weird to see his bird friend so shiny and new, where it once looked like a graveyard reject. 

“So...what now?”, he asked. “Do we find the other Cities?”

“The data's been completely formatted. There'll be nothing to help us onto the right path. Our medallions only go as far as the fourth City, so anything beyond is ours to find on our own.”

“That's feasible. We can pick up where they left.”

The Condor's head lowered, beak opening. Slowly, she climbed in, and was met with the Muan equivalent of fresh car smell. Huh, not too bad. 

“The base hardware is still the same, but I've managed to bring some updates.”

She pressed a button on the dashboard, and English text answered to her. The altimeter, accelerometer and distances were all in metric units, and she even managed to get a beta version of a functional internal map running. Of course, all of this was pretty new, so there'd be a lot of trial-and-error; but this was the exciting part. And honestly, she just couldn't wait. 

“And of course, I've even added a little something.”

Leon sat down on his seat, not getting it. But that's when he noticed the piece of metal dangling from his seat; he pulled on it, and his eyes opened wide.

“Seatbelts.”, he gasped.

“Now we won't have to fear high speeds. What's you think?”

All that answered her were a hasted click and eager seat bouncing.

“Heh. Alright, then.”

She fastened her own belt, and started the engine. The roof of the factory opened, to free the now-repaired vehicles, and she slowly took off, adjusting to the new smoothness of her beloved bird.

“Where are we going?”, Leon asked.

“Well...before we do anything, there's something I have to do. I'll get to see how fast this baby has become.”

Once she got high enough, she grabbed the snake shaft with a grown ease and turned into the sky. The Nest of Birds disappeared in the fog as they left, certainly not forever; and in the rising steam of the mountain, she saw the Dragon fly in loops like a freed beast.

~~~~~ 

She hesitated. Would she do it? She still had a chance to run away and pretend it never happened. Maybe he wasn't here at all. Maybe she was wasting her time.

Oh, screw that. What did we say about determination? Come on, now! Do something responsible, for once! She took a deep breath, ignored the trembling in her hand, and rang the doorbell.

Immediately, her heart started pounding. She took a good couple of steps back, trying to calm herself. If anything went wrong, she'd just have to run. She could run, right? Her legs sure felt like it. She felt ready to run a marathon right now. Yeah, running would be nice, wouldn't-

The lock clicked. She froze. Her heart was pounding so loud that it started to hurt, and she thought she'd die of anxiety in this very spot. Carefully, the door opened, and luckily, the best of the two possible options happened.

“...hey, dad.”, she greeted shyly. “I...I'm back.”

He stared at her, frozen in place. For a second, Tina thought she was about to die, and got ready to flee like a panther. She was about to die, wasn't she? She sure felt like it. But that's when his face scrunched up, and her reaction got lost.

A second later, he was holding her in his arms, so tight she felt she'd die indeed.

“I was so scared!! Do you have _any idea_ of what you did!? I was worried sick!!”

She couldn't help it. She returned both the embrace and the tears, her fear giving way to a relief like she's never known. 

It lasted forever, a kind of forever that was as atrocious as all the forevers she'd known. He was angry at her, of course he was, but relief was stronger than anger. He was crying, and that showed her a side of his humanity that she's so rarely seen before.

“Where in the _world_ have you been?! Everyone was looking for you! I thought you'd have been killed!!”

“It's...a long story. A very long, unbelievable story.”

But still, it needed to be told. And she needed to tell someone.

As she entered, something struck her. The brown car outside was missing, so were several things. Her gut feeling turned into another one, a little less unpleasant this time.

“Where's la Co...I mean, where's Elena?”

Dad didn't answer right away.

“Elena and I had...some disagreements after you left. So we thought it best to take a little break.”

She couldn't believe it. Oh, how hard it would be to hide her joy! That filthy bitch, finally gone!! So much of her relief simply floated away, for she knew that she wouldn't have to face any more monsters on this journey. 

A journey which wasn't very easy to tell. Of course, dad didn't believe her at first, but she then showed him proof. The videos and pictures she took, Esteban's medallion, Desvilles's orichalcum-tracking compass that she still had with her. And perhaps there was something so real, so organic in her way to tell that story, that he had no choice but to believe her.

“This is...definitely a lot.”, he said after a good while of silence. “Mysterious Cities of Gold, scattered throughout the world? Ancient civilizations? And...and a golden corvid?”

“Golden Condor.”, she corrected. “I can show it to you, if you want.”

“No, I...I think I've heard enough.”

He stood up, getting himself another cigarette. All of this was very hard to believe, she knew it; but what could she do about it? Truth was the truth.

“This is insane.”, he said after a time. “There's no way I'll let you go on such trips.”

“I know. But I still went to tell you.”

She tried to hold his gaze. It's been one strange meeting, perhaps an easier one that she'd have envisioned. But that still would be difficult.

“I can't escape it, though. So even if you tell me to stay, I'll go. That's just how it is.”

Dad huffed, blowing another puff of nervous smoke. 

“...I see.”

He looked away, thoughtful. She knew it'd be useless to dwell on it, but she felt above parental authority now. She's done a good lot of illegal things, so a father's word didn't hold much meaning.

As he remained silent, she gazed at the pile of papers on the kitchen table. Among the usual mess, one stood out: an envelope bearing her school's name. She took it, and saw it was for her, not for her dad. Kind of unusual, if she thought about it. 

“Will you go away now? Can't you at least stay for a few days?”

“That's very tempting, but we've already made plans.”

She stood up as well. 

“That doesn't mean I won't come back. I'm just...kind of doing my own thing, now. Growing up.”

“I suppose it's good, then.”

Things were slowly resuming being awkward and mild. Deciding not to let it linger, she simply said goodbye, and left. 

She was surprised to find Leon still in the Condor, when she got back in. Strange, usually he'd come back after her.

“You didn't go to see her?”

He shook her head.

“It's best everyone believes I'm dead. If I want to give myself body and soul, I have to let go of my attachments.”

“Talk of edgy.”

He looked at her, with a serious gaze that she's never really known him for.

“It's not edgy, it's serious. There's something waiting for me at the end of this path, and I want to get to it. You may consider it to be a part-time job, but I beg to differ.”

Tina just shrugged.

“I still don't know. Maybe something will change my mind.”

She turned on the engines, and the Condor slowly took off. 

“By the way, your riddle. The answer is 'truth', right?”

He smiled at her.

“See. You can get my meanings when you want to.”

“You should thank me for it.”

And they flew away towards their next destination.

As they coursed through the air, going in a rather easy line, Tina took a moment to open the envelope. It bore a rather standard style, and she thought it was a notice of expulsion; but as she read through it, her thoughts quickly changed course. 

“What is it?”, Leon asked.

“It's...directions.”, Tina blinked. “A list of places to check. These are all important cultural sites...”

She hurriedly scoured the paper, down to the end of it.

“'I hope that these few indications will be of use to you in your journey. Wishing you the best of luck...”

Her heart skipped a bit.

“...yours truly, Professor Lisa Fermonte.”

Leon pretended to spit out his drink.

“Your own teacher was behind all of this!!??!?”, he gasped. “We have to warn the President!!!!”

“...no, that does make sense, actually.”

She glanced at her open backpack. Between the report on witches and Tao's book, the corner of the flyer on _Legends of Gold and Blood_ displayed its colorful advertisements. 

“You think she saw something in me? Something...promising?”

“I mean, she had to read all your essays on Mu and ancient astronauts. Anyone would send you away to fuck off in Albuquerque for that.”

“Yeah. Maybe.”

She put her eyes back on the road, more questions appearing in her mind than those finding their answers.

“Maybe.”

But she didn't want to think back on it. For now, she had to focus on the present, and the future as well.

She tilted the shaft forward, and the Golden Condor disappeared into the sky.


End file.
